VESTAL, N.Y. - Riding the program's best Division I win percentage (.722) into its first America East semifinal appearance since 2009, second-seeded Binghamton women's soccer (11-3-4) hosts sixth-seeded Vermont (8-8-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex. On the line is a berth in the confererence championship game, contested Nov. 5 at the highest seed. Top-seeded New Hampshire meets fifth-seeded Stony Brook in the other semifinal. 

 Last Sunday, Binghamton pulled out a riveting 3-2 overtime win over Hartford to clinch of share of the team's first crown in 13 years. The team's 11 regular season wins are the second-most in program history (D-I era). Four Bearcats earned all-conference honors and the coaching staff shared top honors as well.

Redshirt junior forward Kayla Saager ranks 14th in the nation in points (29) and the team boasts five players with three or more goals — the most balance of any team in BU's 17-year Division I history. In goal, senior Katie Hatziyianis (0.93 GAA) returned from injury to make a game-saving penalty kick save late in regulation against Hartford and create a special Senior Day memory.  

The Bearcats are 5-5-5 all-time in the America East tournament. In their last appearance in 2014, BU tied third-seeded UNH 1-1 in Durham before being eliminated on penalty kicks. The last time Binghamton held the No. 2 seed was in 2009, when it advanced over Maine in a seminal shootout before losing to top seed Boston University in the championship game. The Bearcats captured the conference title in 2004 and made their lone NCAA Division I tournament appearance. 

Vermont advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 win over No. 3 Albany Thursday night in Albany. With just 49 seconds left in regulation, leading goal scorer and second-team all-conference midfielder Brooke Jenkins sent a 30-yard shot that caromed off a Great Danes' defender into the far corner. The Catamounts were outshot 18-14 but advanced to the program's third straight semifinal berth. Senior back Taylor Palmer had given UVM a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute before Albany squared it in the 63rd minute. Senior Sarah Martin, a first-team all-conference midfielder, assisted on the first goal. She has a team-high six helpers this season.

Senior keeper Coco Speckmaier (1.14 GAA) made seven saves in the quarterfinal win. She has 106 saves for the season. 

Vermont earned a postseason bid with a 2-0 win over Stony Brook in its regular-season finale.

Back on October 1, the Catamounts scored a goal in each half and pinned a 2-0 loss on the Bearcats here at the Sports Complex. Binghamton held a lopsided 19-7 shots advantage but couldn't break through on the scoreboard. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 8-6 but Vermont has won four of the last five matchups — four of which have been decided by just one goal. The teams have never met in the postseason. 


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