UMBC

Nicole Clark tallied her second career goal against Binghamton.

BALTIMORE—Binghamton back Stefani Knopick scored twice in the first 3:30 of action, and the Bearcats (4-9-1, 2-2-1 AE) fended off a feisty UMBC attack to defeat the Retrievers (2-12-1, 1-5-0 AE) by a score of 2-1 Thursday afternoon in America East women’s soccer action in sloppy conditions at UMBC Soccer Stadium.

Just 1:31 into the game, UMBC freshman goalie Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) dropped to her knees to stop a cross from Binghamton forward Jamie Holliday, but it found the feet of Knopick, who kicked it right through Kadet's hands and into the back of the net. Two minutes later, Bearcat forward Sarah Furminger got past her defender and sent a cross to Knopick who shot the ball into the lower left corner of the goal for the early 2-0 lead.

But the Retrievers answered back late in the 12th minute when freshman midfielder Nicole Clark (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) took the ball from a Binghamton defender in the middle of the box and shot it over the head of Bearcat keeper Carrie Martin into the top left corner for her second goal of the season, slicing the deficit in half. It was UMBC’s first goal in more than 400 minutes of action, dating to Sept. 26.

The Retrievers had a number of opportunities to even the score but could not capitalize. Five minutes after Clark’s goal, freshman forward Amy Savage (Ottawa, Ontario/Sir Wilfrid Laurier) saw her shot hit off the post and ricochet away, and with three minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Sarah Kopytko (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) got a hold of a loose ball in the box, but her shot went just left. Midway through the second half, senior midfielder Sandra Vacarino (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) also saw her shot hit off the post.

Kadet made seven saves in the game, while Martin finished with eight. Each team took 16 shots.

Before the game, the Retrievers honored seniors Vacarino, Erin Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Methacton) and Christine Sadowski (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) in a Senior Day ceremony.

The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, when they embark on a season-ending two-game road swing, beginning at Albany at 1 p.m.