AU’s bid for a win in its home opener against the Binghamton University was unsuccessful as the Eagles fell 1-0 after a mid-period goal by the Bearcats.
The Eagles seemed unable to generate any offense throughout the first half, according to head Coach Todd West. He said the team’s performance was “unacceptable” and stressed the importance of playing the entire game well or “certain players will not be on the team anymore.”
While the Eagles had 12 shots during the first half, only one of those attempts counted as a shot on goal when Eagle freshman Michael Cherry had his shot blocked by Binghamton goalie Stefan Frantellizzi at 15:04. This was AU’s lone highlight of the first half since the Eagles could not convert two corner kicks into scoring chances during the period.
Despite outshooting Binghamton 12-7, the Eagles still found themselves losing after Binghamton’s Tommy Moon beat AU’s senior Goalie Billy Knutsen from 15 yards out in the 25th minute.
The Eagles went on the attack immediately after Binghamton took the lead, yet were not able to find the equalizer despite attempts from Eagle’s Senior forward Colin Seigfreid, Cherry, and Freshman Forward Joe Iraola. Seigfreid’s shot went wide, Frantellizzi saved Cherry’s attempt while Iraola’s header was stopped by Frantellizzi.
The Eagles seemed to be a different team as they came out for the second half, outshooting Binghamton 12-2 during the period.
The Eagles had seven corner kicks in the second half compared to Binghamton’s one. AU had suffered from the same issue as they did in the first half: failing to convert opportunities into scores.
AU’s best chance of the afternoon happened at 47:36. Eagle Freshman Dale Ludwig had his shot blocked by a Binghamton defender. Seconds later AU’s sophomore Charlie Hunter took a penalty kick which no Eagle player could put in the net.
The second half showed a hungry AU team that was eager in its attempts to correct itself after its slow start.
Junior defenseman Conor Osborne and Freshman Defenseman Michael Cherry led the eagles with 5 shots a piece. Knutsen had five saves for the eagles.
AU looks to rebound Sep. 8 afternoon at 1 p.m., when they host the Denver University Pioneers.
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