WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Nadiv Datner scored twice, including the game winner in double overtime, lifting Hartford (2-0-0, 2-0-0 AE) to a 3-2 win over Binghamton (1-1-0, 1-1-0 AE) in an America East men's soccer match on Sunday afternoon at Al Marzook Field. The game marked a battle for first place in one of the three conference pods set up for the current season.

Up until Datner's game-winning goal, the match could not have been more even between the two teams. Hartford held a slim 10-9 edge in total shots while the shots on goal were even at 3-3.

But when the Bearcats were called for a hand ball inside the box with less than four minutes remaining in the final overtime period, Hartford was awarded a penalty kick. Datner then buried the shot into the right side of the net.

Playing  their first match in 16 days, the Bearcats scored twice in a span of four minutes to take a 2-1 halftime lead. In the 39th minute, senior midfielder Noah Luescher tipped in a shot by sophomore forward Ethan Homler. In the 41st minute, Homler gave the Bearcats the lead with an unassisted blast from outside the box.

Datner tied the match in the 65th minute on a close-range shot. Sergei Martinez was credited with the assist. Earlier in the match, it was Martinez who had given the Hawks a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 27th minute.

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper P.J. Parker kept the match tied a 2-2 when he came up with a huge save in the 89th minute. He stopped a close range shot by Nyrik Antoine, who shot towards the lower right of the net.

Luescher now has a team-best three goals so far this season. Homler, meanwhile, now has two career games with at least three points – having scored twice against Lehigh back in 2019.

"I thought the guys responded really well today - especially went we were down 1-0 early in the match," head coach Paul Marco said. "I felt like it was an extremely competitive game. The wind was a factor both ways. Overall, I think we did some really good things today but it was very tough to lose the way we did."

Binghamton returns home for a Friday match against UMBC at 3 p.m. It will be a non-pod match with Albany being the other team in the same pod as the Bearcats and Hawks.