VESTAL, N.Y. - First-place Binghamton women's soccer (4-4-5, 3-0-2 America East) brings a six-game unbeaten streak into a Homecoming Weekend match against visiting Vermont (8-4, 2-2 AE). The teams square off at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex. 

With three games remaining in the regular season, BU (11 pts.) is still unbeaten in conference play and holds a slim lead over Maine (10), who comes to Vestal for a pivotal Oct. 22 tilt. But first, the Bearcats have to contend with a Vermont team that has outscored its last three conference opponents by a combined 10-2 margin. The top two seeds earn first-round tournament byes and host roles for the America East semifinals. 

Binghamton defeated UMass Lowell 2-0 in its last outing Sunday at Lowell. The Bearcats have scored two or more goals in three of their last four games. Senior defender Lexi Vegoda has team-highs of four goals, four assists and 12 points. She has converted all four penalty kick attempts and ranks third in the conference in assists, fourth in points and fifth in goals. Sophomore forward Lauren Clark has four goals and freshman striker Paige Luke has three goals. Reigning America East Midfielder of the Year Olivia McKnight has a goal and four assists. Junior keeper Kaitlyn Williams was named America East Defensive Player of the Week after her shutout against UMass Lowell. Williams made seven saves to secure the team's fourth shutout of the season. She owns a 1.24 goals against average and a 77.8% save percentage. 

On the strength of a successful non-conference portion, Vermont is sitting on eight wins - already double their win count from last season. The Catamounts are unbeaten in their last three — a 6-1 drubbing of UMass Lowell, a 3-0 shutout at UMBC last Sunday and a 1-1 draw with UNH on Thursday. Junior forward Kate Bossert has tallied nine goals (three game-winners), tied for the most in the conference. Graduate keeper Erin Murphy has a 1.25 goals against average and an 81.5% save percentage.

The all-time series has been near-even, with Binghamton holding a 12-10 advantage, on the strength of four straight wins. Last October, BU put together a complete game in Burlington and the result was a stunning 6-1 win, thanks to a flurry of six first-half goals in a 21-minute span. Fourteen of the 22 games between the two programs have been decided by just one goal, including four of the last six. The last time they met in Vestal, BU prevailed 1-0 in overtime in 2021.