VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton women's soccer faces a perennial NCAA tournament team on Friday when the Bearcats (2-1-1) travel to Loretto, Pa. to play St. Francis (1-2-1) at 4 p.m. Friday. It's the start of a challenging two-game weekend set that concludes with a game against elite Atlantic 10 member Duquesne on Sunday.

The Bearcats are coming off a 1-0 home win over Iona on Sunday. The team has played four tightly-contested games to start the season. After the season-opening 3-3 tie at St. Bonaventure, BU has been involved in three straight one-goal games, posting a pair of 1-0 wins and absorbing a 2-1 loss sandwiched in-between.

Senior forward Kayla Saager netted the game-winner in the 74th minute to beat Iona. She ranks 25th in the country in points and leads BU and the America East with three goals and eight points.

Head coach Neel Bhattacharjee has continued to split his goalkeeper duties with freshman Haylee Poltorak working the first halves and sophomore Mackenzie Hanna playing the second halves. Poltorak has yet to allow a goal and has needed to make just seven saves in 180 minutes of action. Hanna (2.25 GAA) has made eight saves.

St. Francis returns seven starters and 22 letterwinners from its 2017 NEC championship squad. The Red Flash have won four NEC titles since 2010, including the last two, and they were picked to win the league again ths fall.

The team has opened 2018 with a tie against Radford (2-2), 3-2 loss to Canisius, a 4-0 win over fellow America East member UMBC and most recently, a 1-0 loss at Loyola on Sunday. It's the lopsided win over UMBC that will catch the eye of Bhattacharjee and the coaching staff. 

Binghamton and St. Francis have met just twice all-time. As an independent Division I program back in 2000, BU posted a 1-0 win in Loretto. The teams then played to a 1-1 draw in Vestal in 2002.