RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Binghamton women's soccer (2-3-2) senior forward Kayla Saager scored her fourth goal of the season in the first half but host Manhattan (1-2-1) countered 15 minutes later and the teams wound up playing to a 1-1 double overtime draw Thursday night at Gaelic Field in the Bronx. 

After a nearly two-hour lightning delay, the teams got going just before 8 p.m. Saager opened the scoring in the 25^th minute with a nice finish. With her back to goal, she received a pass from junior defender Barbara Badeer, quickly shook her mark with a spin move and then deposited a left-footed shot into the lower right corner.

But the Jaspers countered less than 15 minutes later on a play that looked benign on the right side. A long ball was sent toward the box where Manhattan forward Bri DeLeo jumped past a BU defender and sent a long header toward goal. Freshman keeper Haylee Poltorak tipped it off the crossbar but the rebound came directly to DeLeo who easily headed in the tying goal.

The teams then played the remaining 71 minutes without a goal.

"Tonight was a much improved performance from last weekend," head coach Neel Bhattacharjee said. "We had a very strong first half as we defended hard, performed with intensity, played with style and imposed our will. We let the second half get away from us in certain moments. But overall this is a good stepping stone for us as we prep for Cornell and the remainder of our non-conference schedule." 

Binghamton, which welcomed back injured players Patty Loonie, Chloe Tracy and Ryan Reilly, outshot Manhattan 16-11. Loonie, a senior co-captain and two-year starter, played her first minutes of the season. 

Poltorak made four saves.

The Bearcats return home to host Upstate New York rival Cornell at 1 p.m. Sunday. It will mark the first of three straight home games to wind up the non-conference schedule.


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