The mood “wasn’t great” following Stony Brook Women’s Soccer’s 4-0 loss to Albany last Thursday, according to head coach Brendan Faherty. However, the team made a point to rebound on Sunday against Binghamton at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
“We all felt it coming,” senior forward Amy Thompson said. “Everyone said, ‘today is the day.’ We were feeling it.”
Thompson led the attack for Stony Brook, scoring a goal in each half, en route to defeating Binghamton 3-0. The rebound win was a display of resilience after the team suffered a four-goal loss to the reigning conference champions on Thursday. The Seawolves improve their record to 1-1 in conference play.
In the 12th minute, the 5-foot-2-inch Thompson leaped in the air over a taller defender to pound a header into the goal giving Stony Brook an early 1-0 lead. Senior forward Raven Edwards and midfielder Priscilla Wiggins both registered an assist on the play.
Faherty made changes to his lineup prior to the game, moving Thompson to the center forward position. “She did a good job of checking back, getting on the ball and obviously scoring two goals which is the most important thing,” he said.
Thompson’s second goal came in the 58th minute on an assist from junior midfielder Christen Cahill inside the box. Cahill leads Stony Brook with five assists this season. Sophomore forward Julie Johnstonbaugh was also credited with an assist on the play.
Impressive passing was a major factor in the Seawolves attack, using the team’s success in the longball pass to its advantage. Junior defender Sydney Vaughn showed how accurate she can be in the 26th minute when she lined a pass from 30 yards out that gently landed in front of a charging Edwards. From there, Edwards connected for her fourth goal of the season, giving her team a 2-0 lead.
“I just anticipated the pass because I saw her look up,” Edwards said. “I was able to beat my defender, relax and hit it in.”
Stony Brook’s offense outshot Binghamton 13 to five in the first half, allowing them to get a 2-0 lead, but also keeping the ball away from Binghamton. This was the Seawolves’ best defense, and it took pressure off their sophomore goalkeeper, Cara Gallagher.
Gallagher saved all five of Binghamton’s shots on goal and continued to look sharp in goal. Her finest moment came in the 69th minute when Binghamton was set up for its best look of the game.
She dove left on a Binghamton shot attempt that nearly slipped into the goal following the save. She quickly tapped it away from the goal line when another Binghamton player rebounded the shot and attempted their own shot only to be met by Gallagher who had swiftly regained her footing.
“Cara didn’t have a lot to do today because I thought we did so well with the ball, especially in the first half.” Faherty said. “But when we needed Cara at the end (of the game), she was able to make two big saves and keep the shutout for us.”
Stony Brook will host Vermont, who is also 1-1 in conference play, in a pivotal matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m.
