WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Aitor Elena and Sergei Martinez scored eight minutes apart in the first half, powering Hartford (11-4-4) to a 2-0 win over Binghamton (6-9-3) in an America East men's soccer quarterfinal match on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium. The loss ended the Bearcats' first playoff appearance since 2016.

Both of the Hawks' goals came off of set plays. Elena finished off a corner kick in the 29th minute and Martinez capped off a free kick in the 37th minute.

Beyond the two goals, there were not many scoring chances during the match. The Hawks finished with a 6-4 edge in shots on goal while the Bearcats held a 17-15 advantage in total shots.

"It was a tight game today," head coach Paul Marco said. "There weren't many chances around the goal and they got two goals off of set pieces. We were pretty good today in the run of play but we are gutted that this is the end of the season for us."

Despite the loss, Binghamton closed out the regular season on a strong note. The Bearcats went 4-2-2 down the stretch and won their last three conference games by a combined score of 5-2.

"We moved forward quickly this year and watching this team grow like they have the last four years has been special. Our captains Stephen McKenna and Noah Luescher did a great job of leading this team."

The Bearcats lose only McKenna and Haris Brkovic to graduation and return 10 of the 11 players who started against Hartford. In addition, of the 16 players who got on the field against the Hakws, 11 of them are either freshmen or sophomores.

"Our young guys moved forward pretty quickly," Marco said. "We are definitely heading in the right direction and the future is definitely bright. Still, we want to thank our two graduating seniors – Haris Brkovic and Stephen McKenna for all they have done during their careers here."