The Ithaca College women’s soccer team rolled over Nazareth College Sunday afternoon by a score of 5–0, winning the program’s sixth Empire 8 title in seven years. With that win, the Bombers clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  

While the scoreboard displayed the dominance of the Bombers throughout the game, spectators could see who was winning and losing just by looking at the athletes on the field. Ithaca’s demeanor spread confidence and poise, while Nazareth had their heads down en route to the shutout.

This tournament final though, was a lot like many of Ithaca’s wins this season. After exploding for four goals in the first half, the Bombers controlled the ball for the remainder of the game.

“After Koppel headed in the fourth goal in the first half, I knew we had the title,” junior Amy Scheffer said. “It would have been hard to blow a 4–0 lead heading into the second half.”

Leading the scoring for the Blue and Gold was junior Winnie Adrien, whose two goals and one assist brought her season point total to 36. Adrien leads the team in points on the season and has the third-best season total in Bombers’ history.

The story of the tournament though, was Scheffer, as she was named tournament MVP after recording seven points in two games. She played roles of both distributor and scorer over the weekend. She recorded three assists on Sunday against Nazareth and two goals in the 4–0 win over Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday.

With Carp Wood Field as the host to numerous games over the weekend, as both the men’s and women’s soccer teams hosted the Empire 8 tournament, the playing surface was a concern heading into the game.

“People were bound to slip today, and they did,” sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Sotomayor said. “So, our game plan was to get our bodies in front of the ball and defensively try to balance each other out.”  

Throughout the year, the Bombers have shown they can handle tough playing conditions, which will prove even more vital in the next few weeks during the NCAA Tournament.

While Ithaca knows they will play this weekend, they will find out who they will play Monday afternoon when the brackets are released.