Vestal, N.Y.- Despite a 19-11 shot advantage, the UMBC men's soccer team (12-5-0, 3-4-0 America East) suffered a 4-0 loss at Binghamton (9-7-1, 4-3-0) in the regular season finale.
By virtue of Stony Brook's 1-0 win over Hartford, the Retrievers will travel back to Binghamton next Saturday for the America East Tournament quarterfinals. Picked last in the preseason conference poll, UMBC finished in fifth place and will face the fourth-seeded Bearcats at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Third-seeded Hartford (4-2-1 America East) will host sixth-seeded Boston University (3-4-0 America East) in the other quarterfinal match. New Hampshire (6-0-1) and Stony Brook (4-2-1) will receive first-round byes and host semifinal games on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Due to injuries and cautions, UMBC started six freshmen in the game against the Bearcats. Binghamton scored in the seventh minute on an unassisted score by Greg Mathers.
UMBC enjoyed a 7-6 advantage in shots in the first 45 minutes, but pressed the issue even more at the start of the second half. The Retrievers attempted 10 shots in the first ten minutes of the second half and Binghamton netminder Jason Stenta had to come up with three saves in that span.
But Bearcat forward Jake Keegan knocked in a cross in the 63rd minute to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Binghamton scored in the 84th and 88th minutes to seal the victory.
UMBC goalkeeper Phil Saunders made a pair of saves in the game, while Stenta recorded seven for Binghamton.
