VESTAL, N.Y. - After an eight-game non-conference buildup, Binghamton women's soccer begins the eight-game America East slate on Sunday when the Bearcats (3-3-2) travel eight hours north to face reigning conference champion Maine (4-1-2) in Orono. Kickoff is noon at Mahaney Diamond and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

The matchup is a big one out of the gate between programs that were slated 1-2 in the preseason poll. The teams are a combined 19-2-11 in conference play over the past two seasons - a 77% win percentage. The Black Bears went unbeaten in league play in 2022 and Binghamton followed with an unbeaten mark (5-0-3) last fall. The Bearcats are the two-time reigning America East regular season champions but Maine won the tournament title and advanced to the NCAAs in 2023. 

The Bearcats have been idle since blanking Le Moyne 2-0 last Sunday. It was the team's second straight shutout win. Binghamton has gone tie-tie-loss-loss-win-win in its last six games, meaning the pattern calls for a tie at Maine, which the two teams have done in each of the last three encounters. On the strength of a five-game unbeaten streak in the series between 2014-18, Binghamton holds a 12-6-7 lead all-time. But the Bearcats haven't won since posting a 1-0 home victory in 2018. Maine is currently riding a four-game unbeaten stretch, thanks in part to a pair of scoreless draws in 2021 and 2022.

Senior striker Mackenzie Ryder is the reigning America East Player of the Week after collecting a goal and an assist at Le Moyne. Classmate Hannah Mimas leads the Bearcats with five goals and 14 points. She is tied for first in the conference in assists (4) and is second in goals and points. Freshman midfielder Anna Buckwalter is the top points-producing freshman in the conference with three goals and eight points. 

Senior Kaitlyn Williams (1.00 GAA) and sophomore Rebecca Kessler (2.00 GAA) have split keeper duties with each player logging the equivalent of four games. 

Maine has four preseason all-conference selections in its lineup and was picked to win the league by a unanimous coach vote. The Black Bears have gone 8-1-7 in conference play over the last two seasons after winning just one America East match in 2021. The team produced notable non-conference results this fall with a 1-0 road win at Rhode Island and a 1-1 draw at Syracuse.