VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton women's soccer (2-3) scored a pair of second-half goals and outshot visiting Siena 21-4 en route to a 2-1 win Friday night at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The win over the Saints (1-4) was BU's second straight to finish off a three-game homestand.

After a scoreless first half, the Bearcats stepped up their pressure to start the second half and got on the board in the 65th minute. Siena attempted a short goal kick to a defender in the middle of the field but junior forward Samantha Cranecontested the ball, stripped the back and dribbled in on a clear-cut breakaway. With the keeper charging, Crane calmly slid a 14-yard shot into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead.

Strong defensive pressure led to BU's second goal as well. In the 82nd minute, freshman wing back Hannah Shankman won a ball on the right side and sent a pass into the middle, where junior forward Stephani Church chested it down and touched a thru ball to classmate Katherine Corcoran. Inside the box on the right, Corcoran surged past her mark and with the keeper charging, settled the ball and slotted it into the far corner.

Ahead 2-0, BU gave up a Siena goal just 1:39 later off a corner kick, but the Bearcats dissolved the final seven minutes of the game to earn the win.   

"I thought our team did the work we needed to," head coach Sarah McClellan said. "I was pleased with our performance from start to finish. We felt we got off to a slow start in first half but we made a late push in the first and then responded in the second half. The team was playing for each other and showed an incredible willpower and effort. I thought we found some attacking rhythm and our back line sustained pressure and did a nice job. Everybody gave good minutes on the field."

McClellan was especially pleased with the composure BU's strikers showed on the scoring plays."That was a heads-up all-out intensity play by Sam (Crane). On the second goal, Hanna was strong on the ball and then it was a great touch by Church and a crafty finish by Kat (Corcoran)."

Siena opened the game with three corner kicks in the first seven minutes but the Bearcats quickly began stifling further threats. Defenders Connie Gormley and Kelly Corrado intercepted dangerous balls late in the first half to keep Siena at bay.

Binghamton had several other great chances to score. Junior midfielder Rebecca Raber banked a doorstep volley off the crossbar in the 16th minute and Church had two excellent scoring chances - one in each half. The first opportunity was a well-timed touch on a thru ball which resulted in a great diving save by Saints keeper Taylor Booth with just under eight minutes to play in the first half. Then with 16:41 left in the game and BU ahead 1-0, Shankman sent a ball over the top to Church, who was 1-on-1 with the keeper but blasted her shot over the near-side bar.

Senior Gaby Gold (1 save) and freshman Katie Hatziyianis each played a half for the Bearcats. 

Binghamton plays at Lafayette at 1 p.m. on Sunday. That game is the first of four straight road games before the Bearcats return home for the team's final non-conference game — a Sept. 21 tilt against region rival Cornell.

NOTES
Binghamton improved to 8-2-1 all-time against Siena… after scoring just one goal in the team's first three games (combined) of the season, BU has seven goals in its last two contests.