Pitarch leads Bulldogs to playoff berth on Friday

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The Bryant University men's soccer team secured their spot in the America East playoffs on Friday with a 5-0 victory over Binghamton.

This is the first time the Black and Gold will appear in the America East playoffs. The squad has not made a playoff appearance since 2019 when they were in the NEC.

Game Information
Bryant 5, Binghamton 0
Records: Bryant (13-1-2, 3-1-2), Binghamton (4-9-2, 2-2-2)
Location: Smithfield, RI (Beirne Stadium)

Key Moment

• Marc Pitarch Bayot had a hand in four of the five goals to lead the way for the Bulldogs.

Scoring Summary

• 5th minute - Bryant 1, Binghamton 0 - Filippo Censini whipped a ball into the box from the left wing. Marc Pitarch was able to collect the ball and lay it off for Inigo Villaldea. Villadea then curled the ball around a Bearcat defender and into the lower right corner to open the scoring.
• 13th minute - Bryant 2, Binghamton 0 - Pitarch applied heavy pressure in the middle third of the field and was able to block a long pass from the Binghamton defense. The block fell right into Pitarch's path and allowed him to make the dribble and finish the ball past the keeper.
• 36th minute - Bryant 3, Binghamton 0 - Vicente Valor Martinez won a ball in the midfield and played a through ball to Pitarch. Pitarch then dribbled into the box before sending a screamer to the near post.
• 76th minute - Bryant 4, Binghamton 0 - Luis Paúl sent a ball up the field to Pitarch who ended up in a 1v1 with the goal. Instead of taking the shot though he waited for an oncoming Jonas Lyshoj and slotted the ball to him. Lyshoj then finished it off into a wide open net.
• 78th minute - Bryant 5, Binghamton 0 - After Paúl took multiple shots that were blocked by the Bearcat defense, Valor was able to pick up a loose ball and cleanly finish it into the left corner from short range.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant's win brings their total to 13 wins on the season, which is the most in Division I program history for a single season.
• Pitarch set a new single season record in both goals and points in the Bulldogs DI program history. His two goals and two assists for six points brought his season totals to nine goals and 22 points, respectively. This broke the previous DI program record of eight goals and 18 points in a season set by Brett Larocque in 2013.
• Villaldea's goal brought him to six goals on the campaign.
• Valor's goal was his fourth of the year while Lyshoj's was his third.
• Goaltender Antreas Hadjigavriel made two saves in the match.

Next Up

The Black and Gold are back at Beirne for their final game of the regular season- on Tuesday (Oct.31st). They take on UMass Lowell in a 7:00 pm conference contest and will be playing for the opportunity to host a playoff game.