BURLINGTON, Vt. – Despite trailing for much of the game, the Binghamton men's lacrosse team battled back before Gage Adams scored the game-winning goal in overtime to help the Bearcats (5-5, 3-1 America East) defeat Vermont (4-7, 2-2 America East) 11-10 Saturday at Virtue Field.
 
Adams' final goal cemented his third hat trick of the season and eighth of his career. He was one of two Bearcats to score at least three goals on Saturday. Liam Ferris set a career high with four tallies, including the game-tying goal in the fourth quarter. On the defensive side, goalie Connor Winters made a season-high 18 saves for the Bearcats, including 11 in the second half while only allowing two goals during that span.
 
"I'm proud of our effort today," said Binghamton Head Coach Kevin McKeown. "We played a cleaner second half and kept battling. Connor [Winters] was fantastic in the second half coming up with some huge saves!"
 
Ferris began the scoring in the first quarter by navigating around a defender near the crease and firing in his first goal of the day at 11:26. Just over 30 seconds later at 10:55, Adams set up Jack Mellen from the side of the net, before the freshman scored his second collegiate goal in as many games to put Binghamton up 2-0.
 
Vermont responded with five unanswered goals between the remainder of the first quarter and the start of the second. Binghamton's big break would come after Vermont's Colin Bullock was called for a one-minute non-releasable penalty for targeting the head/neck. The Bearcats capitalized on the man advantage with goals by Matthew Keegan and Ferris to bring themselves back within one with 8:09 remaining in the half. The Catamounts would score three more times in the quarter, while Adams added his first goal of the day, as Binghamton went into halftime trailing 8-5.
 
Adams picked up right where he left off early in the third quarter, firing in his second goal of the game at 9:52. Keegan and Ferris each followed with another goal minutes later to tie the game at 8 with 3:29 remaining. Vermont would finish the quarter with a goal from Brock Haley at the 2:23 mark, helping the Catamounts enter the fourth up 9-8.
 
Max Frattaroli scored for Vermont at 8:39 in the fourth quarter to make it a 10-8 deficit for the Bearcats. The comeback in the fourth began when Andrew Girolamo took the ball from behind the goal and ran out to the front of it before his overhand shot found the back of the net. Down 10-9, Ferris would tie the game with five minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Vermont had opportunities to retake the lead, but Winters and the Bearcats' defense stood tall. The biggest stop came with just over 1:10 remaining in regulation. After causing a turnover in Binghamton's offensive zone, Vermont went on a fast break down the other end of the field. Frattaroli ultimately took a shot right in front of the crease, but Winters went down on the ground and stopped it from going in. Both teams would battle to overtime.
 
After Ross Chazanow won the opening faceoff in overtime, Ferris would have to recover the ball after Vermont nearly caused a turnover in Binghamton's offensive zone. Once the Bearcats reset, Adams ran with the ball toward the near side of the net before firing it. His shot would deflect off a Vermont defender and make it to the back of the net, clinching the win for Binghamton.
 
Other Highlights

• This is the third win in a row for the Bearcats. The last time Binghamton won at least three games in a row was in 2023, when BU won four consecutive games between March 11 and April 1.
• Saturday is the first time the Bearcats defeated the Catamounts in Burlington since April 12, 2014, when Binghamton won 9-6. With the victory, Binghamton has tied the all-time series against Vermont at 11 games apiece.
• With the victory, Binghamton improves its America East Conference record to 3-1, meaning the team will at minimum be tied for second place in the league at the end of the week.
• Winters also finished the game with a game-high 11 ground balls, while Matthew Rincon set a career high with seven.

 
Up Next
Binghamton will host UMBC at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. During the game, the Bearcats will celebrate Youth Day. Youth players in the area are encouraged to come to the game and wear their jerseys to celebrate youth lacrosse in the Southern Tier. There will be team posters given out to fans. After the game, the Bearcats will hold their latest, "Pass with a Player," promotion. Any youth player age 13 and under who shows up with their lacrosse stick will have an opportunity to pass a lacrosse ball on the field for 10 minutes after the game with the team.