After a 2–1 victory Oct. 22 in Poughkeepsie, the Ithaca College field hockey team rematched the Vassar College Brewers in the Liberty League semifinal game on Nov. 3 at Higgins Stadium. The Bombers expanded on their previous one-point advantage, besting the Brewers in a dominant, 3–0, showing to advance them to the conference championship.
The Brewers opened competition with a vendetta in their play-style, quickly applying pressure in Bomber territory. Their high-intensity offense was the first to find scoring opportunities, but the Bombers’ defensive line held its own.
The squad in blue earned its first penalty corner of the competition with 2:45 remaining in the first quarter. In a scrambled play that traveled between three Bombers at the top of the arc, junior striker Emma Garver released a drive that deflected high into the air off a Brewer stick. Garver batted the aerial ball into the cage and the stalemate was seemingly broken, but a high-stick foul nulled the celebration.
After a fight for possession in the midfield, the Brewers’ high-pressure playmaking earned them their second penalty corner of the competition with only 4.6 seconds remaining on the clock. However, the Bombers’ defensive unit managed to shut them down, closing the quarter with the score knotted at 0–0.
The second quarter opened with similar high-level play on both sides of the field. After an unsuccessful penalty corner attempt from Vassar, the Bombers earned an opportunity of their own with nearly four minutes remaining in the half.
Sophomore striker Brenna Schoenfeld lofted the ball into the top left corner of the cage, but another high-stick foul on Vassar prevented the Bombers from adding a tally to the board. The foul, however, allowed the Bombers their first penalty corner of the frame.
After an errant pass landed itself in empty space on the stroke line, junior midfielder Meara Bury made a diving effort to finish, managing to gain enough power to slot the ball into the cage off the goalkeeper’s right hip. This time, after being deemed acceptable by the officials, the Bombers secured a 1–0 lead to close out the half.
Following the intermission, the Brewers ramped up their pressure on the Bombers’ defensive unit. A shot coming just under three minutes into the frame forced senior goalkeeper Alex Clough into an uncomfortable stick-side save, but junior defender Bella McCollister had her back to transition the ball out of the arc.
The majority of the quarter was spent in a midfield struggle with neither team able to maintain possession long enough to piece together a scoring play. However, when the Bombers created a settled offense, they did not fail to capitalize.
With just under four minutes remaining, a cross-field pass from the goal line found the stick of junior midfielder Catherine Papa, who slotted the ball past Brewers’ senior goalkeeper Sarah Dumaresq to extend the lead. The goal, assisted by junior striker Natalie Descalso, put the Bombers’ up, 2–0.
With no additional scoring in the third quarter, the Brewers pulled out all their stops for the final frame. A keeper switch from Dumaresq to first-year student Grace Wiley offered the Bombers some new offensive opportunities, but a green card on Schoenfeld gave the Brewers a woman-up advantage for two minutes.
Clough alongside her defensive line remained a brick wall under the newfound pressure, denying the Brewers each of their scoring opportunities as the penalty clock expired. The moment the playing field was even, the Bombers resumed their offensive pressure, immediately earning a penalty corner halfway through the quarter.
After a pinball sequence at the top of the arc, the ball found Descalso with time and room on the right wing. Descalso’s familiar drive had no trouble slipping past Wiley to further pad the Bombers’ lead, 3–0.
In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, the Brewers pulled Wiley from the cage, leaving an empty net and offering a woman-up opportunity for the final two minutes of competition. However, the Bombers’ lead was unbeatable.
Clough — who earned three saves in the competition and notched her eighth shutout of the season — said her defensive line allowed her to feel comfortable playing aggressive and taking risks when the Brewers had extra numbers.
“I know that I can trust them,” Clough said. “Even if I have to come out so that they’re behind me, it means that I can do what I need to do. It’s just such a solid foundation to have.”
Having faced the Brewers in a close matchup before, head coach Kaitlyn Wahila said her athletes knew the game was going to be a battle. She said the Bombers’ four days of practice in preparation for Liberty League play were focused on foundational play, which took the pressure off the high-stakes game.
“Our team showed up ready to go today,” Wahila said. “We were ready to play. … Everybody played their role whether they were on the field or on the sideline, and it was just such a great vibe. I think defensively we played really well and we finished when we needed to on attack. Everything just came together for us and it was also a lot of fun.”
The Bombers will next compete in the Liberty League championship game for the first time since 2021, where they will rematch the William Smith College Herons on Nov. 5 at noon at Higgins Stadium.
