The women’s soccer team moved closer to achieving its NCAA playoff aspirations when it beat Stevens Institute of Technology 1–0 yesterday at Carp Wood Field. With the victory, Ithaca advanced to the Empire 8 final, where they will play second-seeded Nazareth College.

The Blue and Gold seemed more loose than usual before the game, smiling as they took the field to face fourth-seeded Stevens. Head Coach Mindy Quigg said she wanted her players to get better positioning when they were handling the ball at midfield and shoot more often. 

“We wanted to get our bodies behind the ball and make sure we had balance in our attack,” she said.

Quigg also said the Bombers’ attack needed to play the ball to their feet more than to their body so they could get more shots on net in the second half.

The Bombers outshot the Ducks 37–2, but the game’s only goal came in the 77th minute off a header by graduate student defender Lauren Koppel. Freshman forward Julie Winn helped set up the score off a corner kick and was credited with the assist.

Junior defender Andrea Janda said Koppel’s versatility helped the team be more cohesive and the offense be more impenetrable. 

“With Koppel moving up from defense to be more of a striker, we can be a more versatile team and everyone can shift roles and play well together,” Janda said.

While three Bomber shots were denied by the crossbar or goal post, freshman defender Caroline Jastremski said it was key for the team to maintain its composure throughout the semifinal game. 

“We had to keep our confidence up even though we were pretty unlucky with most of ours shots,” she said. “We knew if we kept shooting we would eventually get one to go in.”

Junior Jessica Platt got the start in net and made one save for her second shutout of the season.

The Bombers will look to capture their seventh Empire 8 Championship today at Carp Wood Field. They will face Nazareth with a bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship tournament at stake.