VESTAL, N.Y. - Just four months after finishing a shortened spring season as America East runnersup, Binghamton women's soccer returns to its pre-COVID routine of a planned, full fall season. After a 2+ week preseason, BU opens its 18-game season with an away game at Siena on Thursday. The team then welcomes Fordham to the Bearcats Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon. Sixth-year head coach Neel Bhattacharjee has six starters and 16 letterwinners back and his squad has been picked to finish third in the America East Coaches' Preseason Poll. 

Spring Rewind
After COVID pushed the 2020 fall season into an unprecedented spring campaign, BU responded with a 6-2 season that ended one win shy of an NCAA tournament berth. A 5-1 regular season led to a conference semifinal appearance and the Bearcats upended top seed and host UMass Lowell 1-0 to reach the America East title game for the first time since 2009. A 1-0 loss to Stony Brook ended the team's postseason run. The Bearcats produced a program-best five all-conference selections, led by first team senior defender Erin Theiller, who added to her haul with All-Championship, All-Academic Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District and the department's John Bilos Award (career achievement) honors. Theiller led a back line that recorded four shutouts and didn't allow any opponent to score more than one goal. Sophomore midfielder Olivia McKnight (2 goals, 6 pts.) joined her on the first team - the lone underclassman field player to gain top honors. Junior keeper Haylee Poltorak (second team) led the conference in goals against average (0.36) during the regular season and was second in save percentage (.900). Junior forward Stefania Piantadosi scored three goals, two of which were game-winners. 

Heavy Graduation Losses
The Bearcats said goodbye to nine seniors, including four starters and a pair of all-conference selections in Theiller and midfielder Dora Hayes. Seniors accounted for 36% of the scoring (four of 11 goals) and 45% of the starting lineup for the title game (five of 11). 

Key Returnees
Four all-conference selections return, including first team midfielder Olivia McKnight and second-team selections Haylee Poltorak, Nicole Scudero and Stefania Piantadosi. McKnight has quickly emerged as one of the elite midfielders in the conference. Poltorak is back for her third year as starting keeper. Scudero is a strong center back who helped limit opponents to four goals in eight games last spring. Piantadosi led the Bearcats with three goals, including the game-winner to beat Albany and keep the Great Danes out of the playoffs.  

Enter Largest Recruiting Class
Bhattacharjee has restocked the roster with 11 newcomers - the largest freshman class in program history. One keeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards will open their collegiate careers this fall. "This group is strong with possession and athleticism," Bhattacharjee said. "They give us good options at all the lines and many have already adjusted to the speed of college play." 

Position Breakdown
Goalkeepers
Poltorak anchors the team in goal. Freshman Kaitlyn Williams and junior Nicole Scott round out the group. Williams was a three-time all-state selection at Clinton High and will push for minutes. 
Defense
Scudero and 2019 starter Gabby Piontkowski are back in starting roles. After a strong spring, junior Grace Vittoria has earned minutes and three-year starter Kayla MacKenzie will continue her valuable two-way role in back. After logging 66 minutes a game as a freshman, sophomore Lexi Vegoda returns, as does spring starter Emma Colling. 
Midfield
Olivia McKnight anchors this unit from the attacking spot. The group also includes twin sister Victoria McKnight, who earned America East All-Rookie honors last spring. Freshman Alex Marsteller, a two-time scholastic all-area selection from Pennsylvania, has impressed in the preseason. Sophomore Molly McClelland and freshman Maria Poulos will push for minutes. 
Forward
Junior Maya Anand will start up top, where she brings a creative attacking presence. Piontadosi and her high work rate are back after an all-conference spring season. Joining the pair could be highly-touted freshmen Peyton Gilmore and Hannah Mimas, the latter of which was a scholastic All-American who tallied a school-record 79 career goals up the road in Baldwinsville. Sophomores Carly Bloom and Davia Rossi will see plenty of minutes. "This unit will provide more depth and athleticism than we've seen in the past few years," Bhattacharjee said. 

Leadership, Depth are Strengths
Despite the large graduating class, BU's 2021 team is still filled with vocal leaders, high-caliber talent and strong depth. "We have five seniors who have experienced a lot," Bhattacharjee said. "We have multiple all-conference players and will lean on their experience and impact. This team can attack with a strong rotation of players who can contribute at high levels either as starters or substitutes."

Carryover from Spring
"We know we can lean on that experience from last spring ... but we will go through the phase of forming our unique identity," Bhattacharjee said. "Last season was a springboard to jump off but we have to go through that process again and look to learn and get better every day."

America East Foes
Reigning champion Stony Brook (3) and Albany (3) have combined to win the last six conference titles but the margin is always narrow. Three-quarters of the games (16 of 22) between America East foes last spring were decided by one goal (or less). Only once in the last six years has the No. 1 tournament seed captured the title. "There was a decent amount of player turnover in the conference from last spring," Bhattacharjee said. 

Possession, High-Energy Style of Play
"We utilize all 11 players in the attack and emphasize an organized team unit in defending," Bhattacharjee said. "We want to continue to be a team that produces quality possession and that has a mature attitude when it comes to taking care of the key moments of a game."  

Keys to Season
Building a sense of camaraderie and coming together quickly with the large freshman group are crucial to the team's success. "As long as we mature and develop throughout the first half of the season, we will get where we want to be, which is a contender in the always-competitive America East," Bhattacharjee said. 

First Up - Siena and Fordham
The Bearcats open against a Siena team that returns eight starters from its MAAC championship team. The Saints went 6-1-2 overall and advanced to NCAA tournament last spring. Binghamton and Siena have met seven times and have alternated wins. Binghamton won the last encounter, 1-0 (ot) in 2016. All seven games have been decided by one goal and the home team has won every game. After that tough test comes another against Atlantic 10 member Fordham on Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The Rams won four of their last five games last spring and posted four shutouts in the abbreviated season. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.