Following a dominant 2022 season that yielded a 14–4 record, the Ithaca College field hockey team opened its 2023 season with a tumultuous 3–0 loss to the No. 17 Kean University Cougars on Sept. 1.
The competition opened with evenly matched play in the midfield, with neither team finding many scoring opportunities. The Cougars were the first to test first-year goalkeeper Abby Cannon, earning their first penalty corner just over two minutes into play. After a fight for possession inside of the 16-yard arc, the Cougars were ultimately forced out of Bomber territory. The opening quarter closed without a score, leaving both teams hungry.
The following period saw controlling midfield play from the Cougars, allowing them ample scoring opportunities. However, junior midfielder Meara Bury was a force to be reckoned with on the Bombers’ defensive, putting a quick stop to two of the Cougars’ penalty corners early in the period. Senior midfielder Kiley Sullivan also played a stifling role for the Bombers’ defense, coming up with a crucial defensive stop with 10 minutes remaining.
However, it was the Cougars who opened up the scoring, finding the back of the cage following a penalty corner 5:31 into the second quarter. The point earned the Cougars some momentum, allowing them to control possession in their offensive end for the following two minutes.
When the Bombers found offensive opportunities, they struggled to execute. Junior striker Natalie Descalso found every shot during the squad’s four penalty corners during the second quarter — tallying six shots on goal — but the Cougars’ fifth-year goalkeeper Jenna Flemming denied the Bombers any scoring opportunities.
Coming out of the halftime break trailing 1-0, the Bombers brought some fire into the third quarter that kept the Cougars working. Midfield play got progressively more aggressive and scoring opportunities were sparse on both ends of the field, but the Cougars found the back of the cage once more off of a penalty corner with three minutes left in the frame.
Despite strong defensive play throughout the entire competition, the Cougars widened the gap to 3-0 with three minutes remaining in the final quarter, ultimately solidifying the Bombers’ fate.
Head coach Kaitlyn Wahila said despite the final score, her team displayed valuable play-making skills against a solid competitor that she hopes to expand upon during practice.
“There were some really great things out there both on the defensive side of the ball and the attack side of the ball,” Wahila said. “We just need to continue putting the pieces together. … We had opportunities, we just need to finish.”
Associate head coach Mo Ordnung said the Bombers’ defensive line has played a key role in the team’s success in past seasons, and that she thinks the squad’s grit will be crucial as the season continues.
“Our defense is so good at being very smart and executing purposeful play, but also having that raw intensity to just get the ball,” Ordnung said. “They’re really starting to flow and learn how to work off of each other so, honestly, this is just the surface.”
The Bombers will next take the field when they travel to St. John Fisher University at 1 p.m. Sept. 3.
