VESTAL, N.Y. - Familiar SUNY women's soccer rivals Binghamton and Albany will meet for the second straight postseason when the top-seeded, regular-season champion Bearcats (9-5-3) host No. 5 Albany (7-8-4) Thursday night. The teams square off at 6 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex. 

Binghamton earned the No. 1 seed and opening-round bye after a 5-0 win over UMBC was coupled with a New Hampshire tie. The Bearcats will enter the postseason on an 8-1-2 clip. 

Albany has gone unbeaten since a 3-1 home loss to the Bearcats on Oct. 13. The Great Danes went 2-0-2 down the stretch and advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over No. 4 UMass Lowell on Sunday in Lowell. Albany went 3-2-3 in conference play with wins over New Hampshire, UMass Lowell and UMBC. The Great Danes have won three America East tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2018) and earned the No. 4 seed last year, beating BU in the quarters before losing to eventual champion Vermont in the semifinals.

Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children 14 and under. Online tickets are available here. Binghamton University undergraduate students will be provided FREE admission with their ID.

The other semifinal has No. 2 New Hampshire hosting No. 3 Maine. The two winners will meet in the championship game Sunday afternoon with the higher seed being host. If Binghamton advances, the title game would be played at 2 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex. 

Back on Top
With a 6-1-1 league mark (best in program history), BU returns to the top of the standings alone for the first time in 18 years. That 2004 team won both the regular season and tournament titles, advancing to the NCAAs. The 2017 team earned a share of the regular season title with UNH with a 5-2-1 record. The 2009 team placed second with a 6-2 mark. 

It's Offensive
Binghamton scored 22 goals in eight conference games (2.75/game) – the most any America East team has scored in 11 years (Boston Univ. scored 27 in 2011, aided by an 8-0 romp over winless UMBC). The Bearcats scored three or more goals in four of those games. Binghamton's 37 goals overall in 2022 (2.18/game) are the most the program has scored since 2004 when they tallied 40 in 21 games (1.9/game). Ten different Bearcats have scored this season and four players have five or more goals.

Major Award Winners
Seniors Maya Anand (Striker of Year) and Olivia McKnight (Midfielder of Year) plus head coach Neel Bhattacharjee (Coaching Staff of Year) were honored by their peers as the best in the conference. It's the first time in 22 years that BU has garnered more than one major award in the same season. The honor is Bhattacharjee's second, as he also received the vote in 2017 when the Bearcats shared the regular season title. Anand leads the conference in goals (10) and points (24) and McKnight tallied the most goals (5) and points (11) among all conference players in league games.

Binghamton puts program-best five on all-conference teams
Joining Anand and McKnight on the all-conference first team were sophomore forward Peyton Gilmore (7 goals, 17 pts.) and junior defender Lexi Vegoda (2 goals, 7 pts). The four first teamers were the most of any team. Senior midfielder Victoria McKnight was named to the second team. In addition, freshmen defenders Brooke Herber and Allison Falvo made the All-Rookie Team. The Bearcats set program records for most first team (4), most overall (5) and most total honorees (7).

McKnight twins anchor midfield
Senior identical twins Olivia and Victoria McKnight have been staples in the BU lineup at center midfield since coming to campus from nearby Vestal High in 2019. The last name is very familiar to BU fans as the girls' older brothers Connor and Parker played on the Bearcats' men's team. Olivia is a three-time all-conference selection who has compiled 49 career points (8^th all-time). Victoria has battled through two serious injuries during her career and yet is a two-time all-conference selection with five goals this season.          

You are who you play
Binghamton played a challenging non-conference schedule in August and September. The team's early-season schedule featured games against nationally sixth-ranked Michigan State, Mid-American regular season champion Buffalo, Patriot League Power Bucknell and ACC member Syracuse. Those tests set the Bearcats up for success in the America East and BU will enter the postseason having gone 8-1-2 in its last 11 games.

Fourth straight tournament appearance
Binghamton will be making its fourth consecutive postseason berth and 14^th overall in 21 years of eligibility. The Bearcats are 6-8-5 overall with one title (2004) and two runnerup finishes (2009, 2020). As the top seed, BU is 2-0, having won its lone title as the No. 1 seed in 2004. Binghamton is 2-4-2 in the semifinal round. In its last semi appearance, BU edged UMass Lowell 1-0 in the 2020 tournament, which was held in spring due to COVID. The last time Binghamton hosted a playoff game was in 2017, when No. 2 Binghamton was upended 1-0 by No. 6 Vermont. Binghamton is 3-1-2 all-time in home playoff games, with two wins in 2004 and a quarterfinal win in 2005. The team also had a semifinal advancement on PK's in 2009.

Albany Again
The Bearcats will face familiar SUNY rival Albany for the second straight year in the postseason after not meeting their closest geographic conference foe anytime during the previous 12 postseasons. Last Oct. 31, host and No. 4 Albany posted a 2-0 win over No. 5 Binghamton three days after beating BU 1-0 in the regular-season finale in Vestal. Since both programs joined the America East in 2001, Binghamton has a 12-8-3 edge head-to-head, including a 3-1 win at Albany three weeks ago on Oct. 13. That game was played in a torrential downpour and BU scored three straight goals to overcome an early Great Danes 1-0 lead. The Great Danes earned their spot in the semis with a 3-1 upset of No. 4 UMass Lowell on Sunday in Lowell.

A peak ahead
If BU gets by Albany, they would face either No. 2 UNH or No. 3 Maine in the championship, which would be played Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex. UNH edged BU 2-1 on Oct. 9, one week before the Bearcats and Black Bears played to a scoreless draw in Orono. The Bearcats have had a very different history with each potential opponent. BU holds a 12-5-5 lead head-to-head against Maine. In contrast, UNH has a 13-7-6 cushion in its favor against the Bearcats.