Entering its matchup with Marywood University on Sept. 22, the men’s soccer team had struggled to find the back of the net. But two minutes into the game, the Bombers put up a goal and never looked back as they finished with three in the game to become a dominant offensive force in the Empire 8.

Despite a slow start on offense, scoring only four times in their first six contests, they turned it around with a combined eight goals in their past four matches. Head Coach Andy Byrne said the swift uptick in goals is a result of sustained effort and hard work.

“It takes time to bring the attack together,” Byrne said. “We’ve had some new guys so it takes a little bit longer, and they’re just getting to know each other better.”

Junior forward Fernando Casanova, who transferred from Tompkins County Community College last spring, is providing a major lift for the Bombers’ offense with three goals and one assist this season. Each goal scored is a result of a team effort, Casanova said.

“A good offense relies on their center midfielder to distribute the whole game,” Casanova said. “So Jeff Geyer and Matt Baluzy are a really vital key for our goals this season.”

Juniors Geyer and Baluzy have scored two goals each, but Casanova said their contributions go beyond what shows up on the scoreboard.

“You’ll see a striker with a certain amount of goals, but the real mind behind it is the one who is center mid — who makes the three passes before the goal [that] really creates the opportunity,” Casanova said.

The Bombers have been able to maximize their scoring opportunities on offense because of their strong defensive play. Junior goalkeeper Justin Parlapiano, combined with a strong back line, helps the team maintain possession of the ball for the majority of its games.

“The defending has to be good in order to give you a platform to start your attack from,” Byrne said.

The squad suffered growing pains on attack prior to entering Empire 8 play, being shut out four times during its nonconference schedule. The Bombers reversed their luck with back-to-back 3–0 shutouts against Marywood and Empire 8 foe Alfred University at home. When on the road this season, the team averages 0.86 goals per game, but when playing at home, the South Hill squad is undefeated; averaging two goals per game.

Despite two convincing victories two weeks ago, the team must keep its mind set on the next opponent by taking each and every practice seriously, freshman forward Jack Shirley said.

“We can’t say we’ve done our good deed — let’s just go out and have a fun practice,” Shirley said. “We need to try and get better and better every practice and work up to the Empire 8 stage.”

The Bombers recently wrapped up a road trip against two conference opponents. The offense scored in both matches but came away from the trip winless, losing the first match to Rochester Institute of Technology and tying Nazareth College.

Despite a 1–1–1 conference record, the Bombers are finding consistency heading into the heart of their Empire 8 schedule. The future success of the team will rely on decision making, Byrne said.

“It’s about making key choices at key moments in terms of where to pass the ball, when to serve the ball and how to attack,” Byrne said. “It’s about them trying to make good choices in those vital moments.”

Box Score - Ithaca vs Nazareth (10/04/09 at Nazareth College)