Box Score BURLINGTON, Vt. – Binghamton women's soccer exploded for a record six first-half goals and the visiting Bearcats (6-4-2, 3-0 America East) extended their unbeaten streak to six with a 6-1 win over reigning America East champion Vermont (3-6-2, 0-2-2 AE) Sunday afternoon at Virtue Field. With its fourth straight win, BU moved to 3-0 in conference play for the first time in program history and took over sole possession of first place in the America East standings.

"Our team showed a lot of character coming back today," head coach Neel Bhattacharjee said. "We have a lot of respect for the Vermont program and they are the defending America East champions. After going down a goal we showed great resilience and kept the attack going. The six goals we scored were all special strikes and we kept feeding off our confidence that grew as the game went on."

Senior forward Maya Anand netted a hat trick in the first half – scoring three in less than 19 minutes – to spark the onslaught. Anand now has a league-leading nine goals and 21 points. Sophomore forward Peyton Gilmore added two header goals – her fifth and sixth tallies of the season.  

The Bearcats actually trailed 1-0 after Vermont was awarded a penalty kick in the 14^th minute after a takedown just inside the box. But just over three minutes later, BU began its scoring run when Gilmore headed in a free kick from junior back Lexi Vegoda.

Anand scored her first 2:54 later when she drilled a 22-yard shot to the lower left corner to give BU a 2-1 lead. In the 23^rd minute, Gilmore was back at it with her second goal. Junior midfielder Molly McClelland struck a strong 25-yard left footer that rang down off the crossbar and right to Gilmore, who was all alone and headed it in from four yards.

Anand then took her turn in the Gilmore-Anand-Gilmore-Anand sequence when she ripped a left footer from just outside the box into the lower right netting. Eight minutes later, Anand scored her third of the game with another left-footed blast.

Binghamton's sixth goal of the half came in the 39^th minute, courtesy of Anand and senior midfielder Olivia McKnight. Anand began with some deft dribbling before back-heeling a pass to McKnight, who struck her own left footer to the top netting.

After the seven-goal first half, the teams played through a scoreless second half.  

In all, BU set records for fastest three goals (5:13), four goals (12:41), five goals (20:31) and six goals (21:08), netting six in a half for the first time in its 21-year Division I history.
The Bearcats host New Hampshire next Sunday afternoon.
 
NOTES
Anand became the first Bearcat to record a hat trick in one half, and became the first to tally three goals in a game since Dani Raske scored three against Iona on Sept. 12, 2008. Anand also tied the program record (D1) for points in a game (7), set by Tracy Kasmarcik against Albany on Oct. 2, 2002 … the unbeaten streak is BU's longest since a seven-game streak back in 2002 … the six goals were BU's most in conference play since beating Albany 7-0 on Oct. 2, 2002.