On a blustery, snowy November day, the difference between the No. 25 ranked Ithaca College and Roger Williams soccer teams was the head of senior Chelsey Feldman and the foot of junior Amy Scheffer. Though the weather played a factor, these athletes contributed both goals in the Bombers’ 2–0 win over the Hawks on Sunday afternoon, putting the team in the NCAA Sweet 16.

After 28 minutes of even play, Feldman headed a perfectly placed cross on a free kick from Scheffer past the goalkeeper. That was not the last time the two would connect, though. Late in the second half, Scheffer found a darting Feldman who once again scored to ice the game.

The day before, against Westfield State, Feldman contributed with two assists, but junior forward Winnie Adrien stole the show with a hat trick in Ithaca’s 6–0 win.

The first round proved to be an easy win for the Bombers, but the weather wreaked havoc on Carp Wood Field. After hosting men’s and women’s games the weekend before, the deluge of rain on Saturday turned the field into a quagmire. By the end of the game, the athletes were playing through puddles of mud. Because of the field condition, Sunday’s game was moved to Ithaca’s practice field, which was not in great shape either.

“The fields were all torn apart,” Adrien said. “With the conditions, we had to play the ball differently and also try not to focus on the field as much as the other team.”

The Bombers proved they were the mentally tougher team, though, as they took care of both teams  with shutouts.  

Playing back-to-back games made the mind-set a little different for Ithaca going into the weekend.

After preparing mainly for Westfield State during the week, the Bombers had little time to get ready for Roger Williams. The distraction of the weather and site change did not help. Feldman said they did what they could to get ready in that short time period.

“Though there was not much time to prepare for the winner of Rochester and Roger Williams, we got as much information on them as we could,” she said. “We prepared the same way, kept their key players in mind and played Ithaca soccer.”

The Westfield State blowout also helped the Bombers get ready for their next game. Scheffer said the difference in how each game played out did make a difference in Sunday’s matchup.

“We got to rest some of our starters at the end of the Westfield State game because of the lead we accumulated,” she said. “Roger Williams was in a tight match with University of Rochester, so they were more tired than us today.”

Ithaca was not too tired, though. Feldman said the team has prepared all season to play these types of games back-to-back.

“We are definitely one of the most fit teams in the tournament, and that’s why we are one of 16 teams left,” she said.

By mentally and physically beating its opponents, the team will only look to improve and build on the first- and second-round weekend. But, before the Bombers look too far ahead, they need to focus on No. 3 ranked Lynchburg College.

While Lynchburg will be a formidable opponent, Scheffer said the team can beat anyone at anytime if they are playing Bomber soccer.

“We have to play our best soccer from here on out to continue playing,” she said. “If everyone continues to step up, we have a chance to beat any team in the nation.”