VESTAL, N.Y. – In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, the Binghamton men's lacrosse team (1-4) shut out Mercyhurst (1-5) in the second half to pick up its first win of the season with a 12-6 victory Friday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
 
Tied at six entering the second half, the Bearcats posted another six goals while goalie Connor Winters made six of his 11 saves in the final 30 minutes to keep the Lakers off the scoreboard. With Binghamton's defense turning up the pressure, Mercyhurst committed 13 turnovers in the second half.
 
This is the first time Binghamton shut out its opponent for an entire half since last season on March 25, 2025, at St. Bonaventure. The Bearcats shut out the Bonnies for the entire first half en route to a 6-5 victory in overtime.
 
On offense, Andrew Girolamo recorded his second hat trick of the season with a game-high three goals, while also adding two assists. Drew Filanowski and Tyler Martini each added two goals, with Martini's pair of tallies being a career-high for the senior. Team captain Eoin Mackay also picked up his first collegiate goal, while Liam Byrne, Riley Jenkins and Ryan Meyers each added a goal for the Bearcats.
 
"I'm proud of how our team responded after going down early in the game," said Binghamton Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Kevin McKeown. "We picked up the ride in the second half and got a few possessions back. The defense and Connor Winters also shut the door on any opportunities Mercyhurst had."
 
That early deficit came after Mercyhurst scored four of the first five goals in the first quarter to go ahead 4-1 at 5:21. Ryan Mahoney scored twice for the Lakers during that stretch, while Ben Carey and Ryan Manion each added a goal. Martini scored the lone goal for the Bearcats during that run at 13:45. By the end of the opening quarter, however, Binghamton caught up.
 
Jenkins was first set up by Troeger Lombardini with a strike at 2:48 to make it 4-2. Then, on Binghamton's next possession, Gavin Jacobsen had a shot blocked before being knocked into the goal by the Mercyhurst defense to bring the score to 4-3 at 1:56. Finally, with 37 seconds left in the frame, Martini fired in his second goal of the day to tie the game at four going into the second.
 
That's when Girolamo stepped in with his first goal at 12:19 to give Binghamton its first lead of the day at 5-4. Mercyhurst countered with back-to-back goals from Robert Madden and Mason Blakeman to retake the lead 6-5 at 8:48. Binghamton eventually would go up a man after Mercyhurst's first penalty of the game was called on Blakeman at 6:38. Meyers would make the Lakers pay with a man-up goal, thanks to an assist from Girolamo, at 6:09 to tie the game at six. Both teams would fight to the end of half before going into halftime even.
 
The game would remain tied until 4:27 in the third, when Girolamo put the Bearcats ahead with his second goal of the game. The junior would then complete his hat trick thanks to an assist from Martini at 3:17 to make it 8-6. The momentum for Binghamton grew larger when Mackay collected a ground ball on Mercyhurst's side of the field, rushed the other way, and fired in the first goal of his collegiate career to extend Binghamton's lead to 9-6 at 1:57. Girolamo would end the quarter by setting up Byrne with his goal with 54 seconds left to bring Binghamton's lead up to 10-6. The Bearcats would only allow one shot on goal during the entire quarter while keeping Mercyhurst off the scoreboard.
 
Binghamton only needed a pair of goals from Filanowski in the fourth quarter, as the Bearcats shut down the Lakers in the last 15 minutes to bring home their first win of the season.
 
Other Highlights

• Flynn Wilson collected a career-high six ground balls to go along with his eight faceoff victories. The sophomore now leads Binghamton with 21 ground balls this season. Aidan McMinn also posted a career-high of his own on Friday with five ground balls. He is tied for second on the team alongside Matthew Rincon with 15 ground balls this season.
• Making his first start as a Bearcat Friday, Carson Corona led Binghamton with two caused turnovers. The sophomore defender also collected his first ground ball of the season.
• Winters, who also collected two ground balls Friday, extended his streak of games with at least 10 saves made to seven games dating back to last season.
• Will Feldmann recorded two assists in a game for the second time this season, assisting on Girolamo's first goal in the second quarter and Filanowski's final tally in the fourth. The senior midfielder also posted two assists against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 14.

 
Up Next
Binghamton begins the second half of its four-game homestand by hosting Stony Brook at noon on Saturday, March 7 at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The Bearcats are celebrating Cereal Day by partnering with Swipe Out Hunger. Swipe Out Hunger works to end college student hunger by addressing student food insecurity. Fans who attend are invited to donate a non-perishable food item to Swipe Out Hunger. Admission to all Binghamton men's lacrosse home games this season is free on behalf of Station 45 American Chop House.
 
Station 45 American Chop House is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Men's Lacrosse.