The Bison men’s soccer team had a busy few days after hosting its first Patriot League competitor, Boston University, on Sept. 24 and then traveling to face Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. on Sept. 27. While neither game played out exactly as the Bison had hoped, the team was pleased with the start of its performance in league play.

The Orange and Blue tied Boston 1-1, but the Bison outshot Boston 8-1 in the first half of the game. The first half was ultimately scoreless while each team grappled with the other’s defense. Midfielder Patrick Mahoney ’20 stepped back onto the field for the second half ready to go, and within two minutes, he scored a header off a corner kick served by defender Dan Bank ’18. It was Mahoney’s first collegiate goal. Although Boston stepped up its game, outshooting the Bison 12-8 in the second half, the Orange and Blue were able to limit them to just one goal, ending the 90 minutes of regulation play tied at 1-1.

Double overtime was intense with Boston taking seven shots on goal in the first overtime, keeping goalkeeper Emmett Witmer ’20 on his toes. Witmer had six saves throughout the game. Defender Zack Rockmore ’17 was also indispensable with a save that stopped Boston from scoring and forced a second overtime. Midfielder Crispin Muessle ’17 was almost able to score, but the shot didn’t find its mark, leaving the score tied 1-1.

“In my opinion, we outplayed Boston in the first half, outshooting them 8-1. The second half was more typical of Patriot League games, where both sides had chances to pull ahead but remained deadlocked going into overtime. I was very proud of our effort, especially in overtime, and I think both teams were satisfied with a draw in the end. Going into the Binghamton game, our focus is on improving our finishing in the final third and taking the momentum from a positive result into our next Patriot League matchup,” defender Adam Bradshaw ’17 said.

The Orange and Blue next headed out on the road to face Binghamton, a non-league competitor. Despite the Bison’s 9-5 shot advantage, they were not able to overcome Binghamton’s defense to get on the scoreboard. In the 33rd minute, Binghamton scored and pushed the score to 1-0, where it would stay for the remainder of the game. The Bison were able to keep up their momentum in the second half, only allowing two shots and none in the final 23 minutes. The men must have taken Bradshaw’s strategy to heart because their final third of the game was noticeably strong.

“We played very solidly against Boston but we were disappointed not to come out with a win as we outshot them. I think we just need to keep working on our finishing. We are seeing a lot of chances in front of goal and just need to put them away. The team was disappointed with the loss against Binghamton, as we were all over them most of the game having outshot them. The team is really looking forward to the rest of the Patriot League season. I really think this is a special team and can really make a run this season,” Witmer said. 

The Bison will be back in action on Oct. 1 when they travel to Massachusetts to face Holy Cross in their second Patriot League game.