VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton men's lacrosse team improved to 2-0 in America East Conference play after the Bearcats defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology 9-4 Saturday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
Dan Garone scored three goals for his first hat trick of the season to help Binghamton win its third game in a row.
Liam Ferris added two tallies to bring him up to a team-leading 15 on the season. The Bearcats also had another strong showing at the faceoff X, winning 13 out of 17 faceoff attempts.
CJ Mangio won seven out of his eight attempts, while
Flynn Wilson was victorious in six out of nine.
"CJ and Flynn did a great job at the faceoff dot, and I think that helped set the tone for the game," said Binghamton Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Kevin McKeown.
Saturday's contest was also Binghamton's Mental Health Awareness Game. The Bearcats partnered with Goalies Matter to raise awareness about the importance of mental health. The team also honored Robert Martin, a former goalie who passed away on April 1, 2022.
"Today was a special day as we honored Robert," said McKeown. "Robert was a fierce competitor, and I thought we honored him well with how we played today."
The Bearcats got out to a quick start early in the first quarter. Ferris opened the scoring at 13:01 after being set up for a shot by
Gavin Jacobsen. Wilson then won the ensuing faceoff and took the ball straight into Binghamton's offensive zone before passing it off to Ferris. Ferris then sent the ball behind his back to Garone near the edge of the crease, who capitalized with his first goal of the day.
From then on, both defenses kept the game as a low-scoring affair. NJIT got its first goal with 26 seconds remaining in the first to make it 2-1 Binghamton heading into the second. With just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Ferris looked to feed reigning America East Offensive Player
Gage Adams near the net, but the pass went off of Adams' stick. Newcomer
Riley Jenkins was there to scoop up the loose ball before shooting it through goalie Joey Schwarz's legs for his first goal as a Bearcat. JC Echezuria responded for the Highlanders with a goal at 5:14, and that would be the final tally of the half as Binghamton went into the locker room up 3-2.
While the Bearcats' defense kept NJIT off the scoreboard in the third quarter, Binghamton added goals from Jacobsen at 12:45 and Garone at 9:10 to extend its lead to 6-2 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jack Mellen opened the scoring for the Bearcats at 12:10 in the final quarter with his third goal of the year. Following Echezuria's second strike at 9:04, Ferris recorded his second goal of the day at 6:53. NJIT made it 7-4 with 4:15 remaining, but the Bearcats sealed the win with goals by
Nick Cartmill and Garone in the final three minutes, both of which were assisted by Adams.
Other Highlights
- The four goals NJIT scored are the fewest allowed in a game by Binghamton since May 4, 2017 when the Bearcats defeated UMBC 9-4 in the semifinals of the America East men's lacrosse tournament.
- Binghamton's defense stifled NJIT throughout the game, causing 13 of the Highlanders' 24 turnovers. Nolan Sharkey led the way for the Bearcats with three caused turnovers, while Anthony Bilello, Colin DeLay, Lorenzo Ramos and Connor Winters each had two. The last time the Bearcats caused at least 13 turnovers in a game was May 2, 2021 when Binghamton also caused 13 in a 11-9 victory at UMass Lowell.
- Bilello and Winters also tied for the lead in ground balls for the Bearcats with four each, alongside both Mangio and Wilson.
- Winters made five saves in goal to earn his 18th career victory. He trails McKeown by six for the most in program history at 24.
Up Next
Binghamton has a quick turnaround as the team travels to play at St. Bonaventure on Tuesday at 4 p.m. This in-state match serves as a makeup game after it was originally scheduled to be held on Feb. 15, before it was postponed due to inclement weather in the area.
Station 45 American Chop House is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Men's Lacrosse.
