The Bombers fourth-quarter comeback bid came to no avail as the No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers held on to defeat the Ithaca College men’s lacrosse team 16–10 on April 10.
The last time these two faced off, the Tigers came out victorious, 22–13, on April 12, 2023. Current senior attackman Charlie Niebuhr scored five goals for the Bombers during that game in an impressive showcase.
The Tigers’ offense tried to pull a fast one on the Bombers soon after the face off, shaking through the defensive front. The Tigers’ early scoring attempt ended in a beautiful save by Bombers’ graduate student goaltender Cole Corrigan. The Tigers offense did not let up, as senior midfielder Michael Finneran wristed one past Corrigan for the first goal of the evening. The Tigers did not hold the opening lead for very long. Niebuhr responded a minute later, ending Tigers’ sophomore goaltender Alex Zborowski’s quest for a shutout to even the score at one.
The Tigers’ offense remained a problem for the Bombers early on, as senior attacker/midfielder Dylan Bruno ripped the rubber past Corrigan for his 14th goal of the season. Shortly after, the Tigers turned into artists, as a creative bounce pass led to a goal scored by graduate student midfielder John Mozrall, giving the black and orange a two-goal lead.
The Bombers promptly responded to the early deficit when junior midfielder Graham Brady sniped a goal past Zborowski. After that, the Bombers’ momentum started to pick up and Niebuhr tied the game at three with six minutes remaining in the first.
That momentum stopped when senior midfielder/attacker Kaden Brunson wristed a goal into the net, combating excellent man-to-man defense to give the Tigers a 4–3 lead. Penalties favored the Tigers in the first quarter, with Tigers’ junior attacker Ethan Harkins recording his 16th goal of the year. The Tigers’ offense was relentless as the first quarter winded down, with senior midfielder Ian Dinga increasing the lead to 6–3.
As soon as the second quarter began, the Tigers’ offense tried to catch the Bombers’ defense by surprise once more, but the goal was waved off as a foot was in the goalies’ crease. Junior attacker Clifford Gaston and the Tigers did not let that slide, as Gaston scored his 45th goal of the year to push the lead to 7–3.
The Tigers started to pull away as the clock continued to wind down on the first half, with Gaston and senior midfielder Seth Grottenhaler getting two combined goals quickly to push the lead to six goals. The Tigers’ number one ranked Liberty League offense quickly became the theme in this matchup, with Grottenthaler using a sidewinder shot to give the captain two goals in the evening.
The Bombers’ defense could not keep up with the Tigers’ cat-like offense and graduate student attacker Luke Pilcher hit his 31st goal as the orange and black’s attack looked to make this game blowout material. Gaston then achieved a hat trick late in the first half, connecting with his third goal past Corrigan with 2:55 to go. The closing minutes did not result in either side scoring, and the first half ended with the Tigers in front, 12–3.
It took the Tigers’ offense four minutes to get another goal on the board, but Pilcher eventually did to give his squad a double–digit lead. The Tigers’ chemistry would impress Walter White, as Gaston continued to annihilate the Bombers’ defense, hitting his fourth goal of the night. Pilcher got his hat trick soon after Gastons’ goal, widening the lead to 12 goals.
Tigers head coach Jake Coon decided to sit Zborowsky for the rest of the night, with backup Kyle Burbank subbing in to end Zborowsky’s near-perfect night.
After going scoreless for nearly 30 minutes, the Bombers finally put rubber into the cage, as Brady got one past Burbank’s stick two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Bombers’ offense started showing signs of life as junior attacker Peter Nowlan scored a goal as well and senior attacker John Sramac continued the attack on Burbank.
The Bombers started to figure Burbank out, as sophomore midfielder Sam Baker connected with the net twice to give the Bombers hope in making a miracle. The Bombers made a comeback seem possible, with Niebuhr scoring a clutch goal past Burbank to make it 15–9 with plenty of time left in the fourth.
Niebuhr said Bombers’ head coach Tommy Pearce gave the team some motivation heading into the fourth and that gave it the extra boost to play hard to the end.
“We know every year when you get to play a team like RIT who is high ranked and has won national championships, that you gotta come out there and be ready to play,” Niebuhr said. “And that’s kinda all coach said is, ‘Do you guys wanna play this team?’ This is why you came here’, and I think that really lit a fire under us.”
The Tigers finally responded to the six unanswered goals with graduate student attack/midfield TJ Hendriks silencing the Higgins Stadium crowd.
The Bombers’ offense reached double-digit goals late in the fourth quarter, as Sramac ripped one through Burbank’s crease once more, cutting the deficit to six goals. Unfortunately for the Bombers, the scoreboard read triple zeroes and their comeback bid could not get it done as the Bombers moved to 6–6 on the year.
The Bombers will host another tough challenge in the No. 4 Saint Lawrence Saints at 4 p.m. April 13 at Higgins Stadium.
