VESTAL, N.Y. — The Binghamton women’s soccer team will play the middle of three road games when the Bearcats (1-0) travel to Buffalo to face Canisius on Thursday afternoon. The teams will face off at 3 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex. Award-winning professional athlete and college commentator Howard Simon will provide commentary on ESPN+.
The Bearcats won 3-2 at George Washington on Sunday. Binghamton quickly took a 3-0 lead before holding GW at bay in the closing minutes. Freshman midfielder Anna Buckwalter scored two goals in her college debut. She was named America East Rookie of the Week and also earned a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week. Senior Forward Hannah Mimas added a goal and an assist for the Bearcats, who won their season opener for the first time since 2020. Binghamton built a 2-0 halftime lead with a third goal in the 48thth Minute before GW started to come back. But the Bearcats’ defense became strong enough in the final minutes to secure the win.
Experienced goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams didn’t have to defend a single ball in their clean first half. Rebecca Kessler played the second half and made three saves.
Head Coach Neel Bhattacharjee on a humid day in DC, 16 players were used
Canisius makes his season debut for 2022 MAAC Coach of the Year Ryan Lewis. The Griffs went 9-4-5 last season and earned a 3rd seed for the MAAC Tournament before being eliminated in the first round. Canisius was ranked 3rd in the MAAC preseason poll, behind only two-time defending champion Quinnipiac and 2023 runner-up Fairfield. The roster features six all-conference players, including first-team midfielder Emma Oliphant. Last season, Canisius was stingy on defense, allowing just 13 goals in 18 games, with 10 shutouts.
Binghamton holds a 5-1-2 lead in the all-time series that began in 2000. The Bearcats are unbeaten in their last four games (2-0-2), including a scoreless tie last August at Vestal. Binghamton is 2-1 in Demske.
