Men's Soccer's Bid for America East Championship Ends in 1-0 Semifinal Loss to Binghamton
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y.- A storybook season for University at Albany men's soccer (10-8-1, 5-2 AE) came to a close on Wednesday night with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Binghamton (10-7-2) in the America East semifinals. The Great Danes recorded one of their most successful seasons in the Division I era.
Just five minutes into the game, Moosah Khanat streaked down the right side of the field to find America East Striker of the Year Afonso Pinheiro. The sophomore put a shot on target, with a bobbled save to follow. Jakes Barros couldn't get a foot on the rebound.
Neither team spent much time with possession of the ball mid-way through the first half, but the Purple & Gold did earn four unanswered corner kicks in a two-minute span. A service from Khanat nearly found the head of Nico Solabarrieta for a goal, but a Binghamton defender stepped up to clear the ball with the Bearcat keeper off his line.
The teams combined for just three more shots to conclude the opening 45 minutes.
With a berth in the finals on the line, the pace finally picked up in the final 20 minutes of the game. A free kick off the foot of Khanat nearly found a head and foot of a UAlbany played at the back post, courtesy of Carlos Clark and Bernardo Mattos. The ball sailed wide, and the score remained 0-0.
Clark was in the mix again moments later, as he scrambled in the 18 yard-box for the game-winner. That attempt was eventually cleared with less than 20 minutes to play.
But Binghamton did not let down, as a counter-attack nearly put the Danes down 1-0 late. Danny Vitiello made a diving save on a shot from the top of the 18 yard-box to give the Purple & Gold a chance downfield.
That chance appeared in the 73rd minute, as Clark connected with Pinheiro on the left end line. Pinheiro knocked a shot just wide with the score still locked at 0-0.
The Bearcats broke through on a free kick from 35 yards out. A service to the left side found a Binghamton player in scoring position at the six-yard box. With no offsides flag, UAlbany took a 1-0 hole in with just over 10 minutes to play. Despite three corners in the final 10 minutes, the Danes did not find the equalizer.
Trevor Gorman & co., concluded 2015 with 10 wins or more for the first time since 2008. The Great Danes also captured the America East regular season crown for the first time in program history.
