Binghamton University Athletics

In just its third year as a Division I program and second under head coach Paul Marco, the 2003 men's soccer team produced an historic 12-3-7 season that featured a first America East championship, first NCAA tournament appearance and victory and first national ranking (No. 26).
 
A stout defense was statistically the best in the country, having allowed just seven goals with 15 shutouts. The team didn't allow a first-half goal all season.
 
A 3-0 win over Niagara on Sept. 24 began a remarkable 14-match unbeaten streak (8-0-6) that extended two months and led to the conference title.
 
The Bearcats lost just once in nine conference matches. The team rattled off seven consecutive shutouts to earn the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament and hosted Hartford in the semifinals. BU prevailed 1-0 and then hosted Northeastern in the first championship game played at West Gym Field in 14 years. Nearly 1,000 fans surrounded the field for the Nov. 14 title tilt and they were treated to a thriller.
 
Binghamton struck first in the 59th minute on a tally from junior midfielder Charles Darkwah. But Northeastern countered in the 81st minute, snapping Gonet's 893-minute shutout string that spanned 10 games. After two scoreless overtime periods, the Bearcats prevailed 3-2 in the deciding shootout. Junior forward Stephen Bruce provided the clincher in the fourth round.
 
The 48-team NCAA Tournament bracket sent Binghamton up against 13th-ranked FDU. But the Bearcats' defense stood firm and freshman midfielder Joey Neilson provided the heroics in the 83rd minute for a 1-0 win. It was the first NCAA Division I tournament win for any BU team in any sport.
 
Next was a second-round road match against No. 4 St. Louis. The Bearcats took the scoreless game to overtime before a late Billikens goal ended BU's storybook season. Gonet made 10 saves to keep the game in doubt.
 
Individual accolades were aplenty, headed by Gonet earning America East Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Year and sophomore back Graham Munro grabbing Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-region honors. Bruce, Darkwah and Danilo joined the duo as all-conference selections and Marco was named NSCAA Region Coach of the Year.