VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton women's soccer (4-0-2) scored 14 seconds into the second half and the goal stood up in a 1-0 upset victory over Syracuse (3-2-2) Thursday night at Bearcats Sports Complex.
The win was Binghamton's first-ever against an ACC program and also extended two impressive streaks. The Bearcats ran their shutout string to six games to open the 2026 season, extending their school and America East records in the process. The win also continued the team's regular-season unbeaten streak, moving it to 19 games dating back to August 2025 (12-0-7).Â
On the deciding goal, Binghamton kicked off to start the second half and quickly pushed forward. Freshman midfielder
Lucia Lopez Velasco sent a through ball down the right side, where senior back
Megan Baker met it with a dangerous cross into the six yard box. A Syracuse defender attempted to clear the ball but it spun off her foot and into the goal for an "own goal."
On the other end, senior keeper
Rebecca Kessler made six saves to post her sixth consecutive shutout. Kessler leads the entire nation in shutouts and goals against average (0.00).Â
Syracuse held a 9-7 shots edge, though the Bearcats had a 5-3 advantage in the second half.
"It was a terrific performance by our team," head coach
Neel Bhattacharjee said. "I thought they followed the game plan and were fabulous the whole night. At half I kind of felt like it would be a 1-0 game and that it would come down to a few key moments and that's what ended up happening. It's great we got the goal and also paid attention to what we needed to do on the defensive side. This game also showed our depth as we needed different people to step up in our rotation and to finish out that last 10-15 minutes. I'm so proud of them ... it's a big win over a name school and we will enjoy it for a brief moment before we get ready to play a Big Ten opponent on Sunday."
Binghamton had been 1-10-2 all-time against the Orange but earned its first head-to-head win since 2005. The second half on the humid evening was a battle of attrition with the teams combining for 26 substitutions and 16 fouls.Â
The Bearcats travel to College Park for a Sunday afternoon test against the Terps.     Â
NOTE
Miller Auto Team is the presenting sponsor of Binghamton women's soccer. Complimentary admission to all home games courtesy ofÂ
Miller Auto Team. Â
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