VESTAL, N.Y. -  An early goal off the foot of Anthony Santaga proved to be the only offense that the University of Hartford men's soccer team needed to earn its first win in league play as the Hawks topped Binghamton, 1-0, at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Saturday night.

The victory improves the Hawks' record in the America East to 1-3-1 and levels their overall mark to 7-7-1 in 2012. Binghamton drops to 6-8-0 on the season and dips below the .500 mark in conference play with a 2-3-0 record.

The only offense of the match was generated in the ninth minute of action on a corner kick. Senior James Stamopoulos took the kick out of the set play and sent a ball into the box, finding defender Simon Turesson. The rookie notched the first point of his college career after Santaga put the finishing touches on his flick pass at the 8:07 mark.

In the 39th minute, Javoni Simms had a chance to double the Hawks' lead after taking advantage of a Binghamton miscue. On a wide open net, the rookie fired high, and the halftime score remained 1-0.

Goalkeeper Viltsu Tuumi had an impressive night between the posts and earned his third career shutout after matching a career-high in saves with nine. He last reached that nine-save mark at Vermont (Oct. 6) after establishing the personal best number in Hartford's season opener at Boston University (Sept. 29).

Hartford held a 13-11 advantage in shots over its league foes but fell behind in corner kicks by a slight 5-4 count. The Bearcats were outshot in the first half, 9-3, but held a 10-4 shot advantage over the final 45 minutes.

For Binghamton, Stefano Frantelizzi recorded six saves. Jake Keegan paced the Bearcats' offense with three shots, two of which were on goal.

Hartford's win, which was the second-straight over Binghamton, evened the all-time series between the two squads at 6-6-1. The triumph also marked the Hawks' first victory in Vestal since 2002, Binghamton's inaugural season in the NCAA's highest rank, as they entered Saturday's match with a 1-4 record on the Bearcats' home turf.

The Hawks remain on the road for their next match when they travel to Baltimore to take on the Retrievers on Wed., Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m.