LOWELL, Mass. - Junior forward Sarah Dibble scored in the 22nd minute and visiting Binghamton women's soccer (9-5-2, 3-3-1 America East) clinched a playoff spot with a 1-0 win over UMass Lowell (4-9-2, 3-3-1 AE) 1-0 Sunday afternoon at rain-logged Cushing Field. 

The Bearcats hung on over the game's final 14 minutes when they were down a player after a red card and in the process, punched their postseason ticket. With one game remaining in the regular season (Thursday vs. last place UMBC), BU can finish anywhere from fourth to sixth in the standings.  

Binghamton's goal came after a direct kick just outside the box. Junior midfielder Ivana Pjetri rifled a left-footed shot toward the near post, where the UML keeper made the initial save. The rebound squirted away, however, and junior back Erin Theiller chipped it back across the goalmouth, where a driving Dibble banged it into the net for her third goal of the season. 

The Bearcats had a 5-1 shots advantage with five corner kicks in the first half as they controlled play throughout. The River Hawks applied pressure in the second half, however, and had BU on its heels in the game's final stages. Junior keeper Mackenzie Hanna made several key saves, including a point-blank stop in the 80th minute on a golden scoring chance. Then with under one minute left, junior wing back Olivia Price stymied a Lowell attacker with a last-line-of-defense 1-on-1 stop and earned a goal kick that sealed the win. 

"I'm so proud of this team's effort today," head coach Neel Bhattacharjee said. "We have been a bit unfortunate the last couple of weeks with results but not because of lack of effort or quality. This group stayed focused and committed during that time and with that competitive mindset we knew we would give ourselves a chance today. We had a very good first half and played with a strong rhythm and tempo while defending hard. But we knew UMass Lowell would come out with a high spirit in the second half. We continued to play well and showed a lot of resilience. The last 14 minutes was a test of our resolve after going down a man and we made some key saves and tackles to preserve the win. I am so proud of this group and their unwavering commitment to one another for a key three points today. This is the mentality we need to exhibit as we prepare for UMBC and then postseason."  

Hanna registered her first shutout of the season and the Bearcats' defense locked down its seventh shutout of 2019. 

Binghamton hosts UMBC on Thursday night before heading into the six-team America East playoffs.