Box Score

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y. - Senior midfielder Emily Nuss produced two goals and five points and Binghamton women's soccer (5-6-1, 1-0-1 AE) scored twice in each half en route to a 4-0 win over visiting UMass Lowell (4-8, 1-2 AE) Sunday afternoon at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The win kept BU unbeaten in America East play heading into a pair of road games.

"Any win is a good win," head coach Sarah McClellan said. "Everyone is jockeying for position and getting points early in the season are a big deal. I thought the team did a great job. We've been working real hard on combination play, holding balls up top and scoring ... and it was only a matter of time before we found the net like this. We were able to do what we wanted on both sides of the ball ... and that's important going forward into some tough games."
Nuss struck in the fifth minute to open the scoring. She picked up a loose ball about 40 yards out and dribbled down the middle before unleashing a 22-yard shot that found the right netting.

The junior forward tandem of Samantha Crane and Stephani Church combined for BU's second goal in the 25th minute. On the left wing, Crane spun past her defender and pushed a square ball into the middle where a rushing Church touched it once and with the Lowell keeper charging, Church calmly slotted a right-footer into the lower right corner. It was Church's third tally of the season. 

The score remained 2-0 until the 79th minute when Nuss converted again. Redshirt freshman Jacque Rice fed first-year forward Patricia Hanley down the left wing. Hanley's cross eluded the Lowell defender and landed at the foot of Nuss, who settled it and blasted a shot from 12 yards into the left corner. Just over five minutes later, Nuss nearly had the hat trick when her 25-yard laser banked off the crossbar.

"I was really proud of Emily's (Nuss) performance today," McClellan said. "She played hard and was dominant in the midfield ... and the way she struck the ball ... she was feeling it. She had a great game."

Freshman midfielder Valerie McNamara finished the scoring in the 85th minute, heading in a Nuss corner kick at the far post for her first collegiate goal.

Senior Gaby Gold and freshman Katie Hatziyianis split halves to share the shutout. Gold made two saves in the opening frame and Hatziyianis finished off their third combined shutout with one save in the second half.
Binghamton held an 18-8 shots advantage in the physical game that drew 28 fouls.
 
The Bearcats begin the first of two straight road games when the team travels to meet Hartford at noon on Thursday.

NOTES
Blanking UML by a 4-0 score for the second straight season, Binghamton improved to 4-0 all-time against the River Hawks ... Nuss became the first BU player since 2007 (7 years) to record a five-point game (2 goals, 1 assist).