VESTAL, N.Y. - Riding four straight wins, Binghamton women's soccer (5-1) returns to the postseason when it faces top-seed and host UMass Lowell (5-1-1) in a semifinal game Thursday afternoon at Cushing Field. The Division "B" second-seeded Bearcats will meet Division "A" winner UML at 2 p.m. Division "B" top seed Stony Brook faces Division "A" two-seed Vermont in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday at Lowell. The two semifinal winners will square off in Saturday's 5 p.m. championship game, also at Cushing Field.

The Bearcats (4-1 AE) are making their third postseason appearance in the last four years and return to the semifinals for the second time in that span. They have only one blemish on their record this spring and it was a 1-0 setback to Stony Brook. Since that loss on March 14, BU has rattled off four straight wins and has outscored opponents 8-1. Binghamton clinched its playoff berth with a dramatic 1-0 overtime win at UMBC on April 9. 

"We are very pleased with our progress throughout the season," head coach Neel Bhattacharjee said. "I'm really proud of this group and everything we've been able to accomplish to this point. Tomorrow's semifinal game will be the first game that we will have a full roster and giving us that depth will certainly help. We know what our strengths are and if we take care of the things we are good at, we will put ourselves in a good position tomorrow." 

Binghamton set a program record with six award-winners from the America East, announced on Wednesday. The five first- and second-team all-conference selections also were the most in the program's 19-year Division I history. 

The River Hawks were picked to finish fourth in the Coaches' Preseason Poll but responded with a perfect conference record. In a division that initially featured 2019 runneup and perennial power Hartford (who ended their season with COVID protocols), UML went 4-0 and outscored America East foes 10-1. However, through a quirk in COVID division format and scheduling, UML didn't play any of the other three teams in the postseason. The team's strongest win was a 2-1 road victory over three-time conference champion Albany on March 28. Lowell was 4-11-2 in 2019 but reached the tournament quarterfinals and then returned 10 starters to form a strong unit this spring.

Thanks to its unbeaten conference record, Lowell dominated the postseason awards, with five all-conference selections, two more All-Rookie honorees and five of the six major award winners. The team produced the Midfielder of the Year, Defender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year.  

In their abbreviated head-to-head history, Binghamton holds a 6-2-1 advantage. However, the teams have gone 2-2-1 in their last five. Binghamton won last year's matchup, 1-0 at Cushing Field. Comparing common opponents this spring, both BU and UML defeated Albany by identical 2-1 scores. Both teams also posted shutout wins over New Hampshire and UMBC. 

Binghamton is 5-7-5 all-time in the America East tournament but has not advanced a round since a quarterfinal win in 2011 (1-0 over No. 4 New Hampshire). The Bearcats won the championship in 2004 and were runnersup in 2009. In 2017, BU held the No. 2 overall seed but was upset at home, 1-0, by No. 6 Vermont. In 2019, BU carried the No. 5 overall seed into the quarterfinals but lost to New Hampshire 3-2.