The Ithaca College men’s soccer team faced the St. Lawrence University Saints on Sept. 30 at Carp Wood Field. The Bombers won 1–0, remaining lights out all game and only allowing three total shots.
The game started out with the Bombers making a deep push into the Saints’ side of the field almost instantly. In the second minute, first-year defender Gustav Bauerle got a shot off, however, it sailed over the crossbar.
Shortly after, the Saints struck back, producing a shot on target in the eighth minute. Junior forward Max Mogul shot the ball low right, but Bombers’ senior goalie Ian Whitfield was able to make a save.
For the next 20 minutes, both teams continued to engage in back-and-forth play until the Bombers got their desired outcome. In the 28th minute, senior midfielder Reefe Harrison provided an assist to sophomore forward Jared Krasnove, resulting in the first goal of the game. Harrison delivered a cross to the left, allowing Krasnove to head the ball past Saints’ graduate student goalkeeper Ben Woelfinger. The goal gave the Bombers a 1–0 lead.
Not even four minutes later, Bombers’ sophomore forward Andrew Kusek was able to juke around the defense to get a clear shot on goal. Despite the opportunity, his shot missed high and left in the 32nd minute.
The remaining 13 minutes of the half remained calm with the Bombers maintaining their 1–0 lead. The pivotal factor at halftime seemed to be the number of opportunities that the Bombers created for themselves. The Bombers had eight shots at half, with four being on target, while the Saints only had three shots, with two being on target.
The Bombers started the second half keeping its momentum and pushing the ball upfield. In the 58th minute, Harrison took a shot from outside the box. The shot looked good, however, the goalkeeper was able to make the save.
The Bombers remained dominant for the remainder of the half, not allowing the Saints to get a single shot off. The game ended with a final score of 1–0. The win moves the Bombers’ record to 4–2–2. After the game, Bauerle said the whole team’s mentality changed after its loss to Hobart College.
“Today we decided we wanted to win,” Bauerle said. “We came here to win and that’s what we did. They were not ready for it and we capitalized.”
The Bombers will travel for its next match against Hamilton College at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in Clinton, New York.
