There was a big win at Higgins Stadium on March 29 for the Ithaca College men’s lacrosse team against the Misericordia University Cougars. The Bombers played dominant both offensively and defensively which led them to a 16–3 victory.
The first half of the game was a great one for the Bombers. There was immediate intensity and energy coming from the team that led it to success. Senior attacker Jake Erickson and junior midfielder Derek Stout scored goals within the first two minutes of the quarter.
The Cougars seemed like they were somewhat rushing to get the ball down before even having it in their sticks. They also left a big gap in front of the goal, which was what gave the Bombers so many opportunities to take a shot.
Additionally, the Bombers had a hard to beat offense with solid passes that went all the way down the field giving them several chances to score.
Head coach Jeff Long said the work his team put in on the field in order to secure the victory was evident.
“I think we did what we needed to do today to win this game,” Long said. “Misericordia was really banged up and they were missing some key players, but I saw many more positives than negatives from our guys’ efforts to get a win at both ends of the field.”
Senior goalkeeper Ryan LaForty had eight saves throughout the game and only let in one shot. Although, he did not play the last quarter. He was tough to get by, with his speed running to the ball and his quick movements to block shots.
The Bombers were leading 11–1 by the end of the half.
The third quarter was a good one for both teams. Even though the Bombers managed to score five more goals in the quarter, the Cougars picked up some agility and made the Bombers work harder to get to the net.
It was an exciting quarter for first-year student midfielder Jace Dockx. Not only was he a resilient player when running down the field with the ball, he also played a big role in the Bombers’ defense. Dockx managed to also score his first career goal, the 14th for the Bombers.
“We came out on fire yesterday,” Dockx said. “We went into the game thinking that we were about to play the best team in the county and put nine in, in the first half. Mindset is the most important thing on the lacrosse field and everyone that played had the same mentality of playing to win.”
Quarter four was when the Cougars picked up strength and started to play more aggressively. They were able to score two more goals, but it was not enough to beat the Bombers.
The Bombers are heading to St. Lawrence University for a matchup under the lights at 7 p.m. March 31.
