As fall sports get the ball rolling, the Ithaca College women’s soccer team has its sights set on another Liberty League Championship title after a disappointing end to its 2023 campaign.
Last season, the Bombers had a 10–3–4 record, including a 5–1–3 record against Liberty League competition. The Bombers ultimately fell short of their goal of winning another Liberty League championship when they lost to the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Junior midfield Kaelyn Fernandez said the end of last season left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“We’re all pretty disappointed with how we finished last year,” Fernandez said. “I think everyone [is] really fired up and determined to bounce back this year.”
Fernandez certainly understands what it takes to compete and win in the Liberty League. Over her first two years in a Bombers uniform, she racked up accolades. She has been a two-year starter for the program and a member of the All-Region III third team for the past two seasons.
Fernandez started against William Smith in the Bombers’ Liberty League Championship victory in 2022. She said the experience of playing in that game has taught her that at the collegiate level, the most talented team may not always win. She said that in the game against William Smith, she and her teammates played with more heart than their competition and that is the same spirit that it will take to be successful in the upcoming season.
“I think what it came down to was who wanted it more, who had more heart,” Fernandez said. “I think if we really put our heads down and work for it, I think we can definitely get back to that spot.”
Fortunately, many key players like Fernandez are returning this season, including graduate students Sarah Sinnott and Ally Stanton, who led the team in goals last season at four apiece.
The Bombers have experience off the pitch as well, as veteran head coach Mindy Quigg is back and ready to return the team to the top of the podium. Over her thirty years as head coach, Quigg has compiled a 386–127–64 record and has helped to guide the program to 22 NCAA tournament appearances.
Quigg said she is excited for the possibilities that this season has in store and thinks this group is capable of reaching new heights for the program.
“We have a level of maturity with our team this year,” Quigg said. “I think we’re gonna be able to really get to the next level of play with our group.”
While Quigg certainly has extensive soccer-related knowledge and accolades, her relationship with her players extends far beyond the pitch. Junior forward Ava Detorie said that playing under Quigg over the last two seasons has helped her confidence in all aspects of life.
“She just instills confidence in everyone, I think, and she’s really helped me — not just as a player, but also as a person — become more confident,” Detorie said. “I have really found a lot of trust in her and I think that she just is a very good coach and I am just really grateful for her.”
Unlike Fernandez, Detorie did not see the field much as a first-year athlete. However, her career has been progressing quite well. She doubled her playing time last season, going from 252 minutes in 2022 to 515 in 2023. She also recorded her first career start, goal and assist last season.
As she now enters the second half of her career, Detorie has taken a different approach to the game. She said she wants to focus more on enjoying the experiences that come along with playing soccer because she only has two years left to play.
“Personally, I just want to be more present playing soccer and just be present on the field and have fun with it,” Detorie said.
This mature attitude from Detorie is just the type of team culture that Quigg aims to instill in her athletes. She believes that this type of mentality will help translate to success not only on the pitch, but off of it as well.
“Some of our most successful teams in terms of wins and championships and in life in general have been when the teams have been able to be really brutally honest with themselves,” Quigg said. “Those are really the environments that I’ve seen we grow the most in.”
Quigg said one of her main short-term goals is getting new first-year players on board with this culture. She believes that each member of this incoming class will be ready to make some sort of immediate impact on the program.
“It’s a diverse group in terms of what they bring to the table,” Quigg said. “They also bring a level of excitement and passion to the team.”
As the season rolls on, Detorie said the team has their eyes glued on their long term goal: winning that Liberty League title.
“If we just stay focused on our collective goal of getting back to winning the Liberty League, I think we can definitely achieve that this year,” Detorie said.
Quigg said her goal is to win, but as always, she wants to see how players can help each other improve in all facets of life.
“I just really care very deeply for our staff and our team coming back,” Quigg said. “We’re excited to see how good we can be and challenge one another.”
Written by Sports Co-Editor Flynn Hynes
Preseason recap:
The women’s soccer team played two games — one against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons on Aug. 20 and one against the SUNY Geneseo Knights on Aug. 24.
The Bombers played against the Red Dragons at Jim Butterfield Stadium. Senior forward/midfielder Julia Cascone, senior forward Rachel Hersch and junior midfielder Devin Sylvia each scored a goal, leading to a 3–0 victory at the end of regulation.
The Bombers’ defense was on lockdown, as senior goalkeeper Grace Hickey did not let any shots in the net.
On Carp Wood Field against the Knights, the Bombers scored two goals: the first from sophomore forward Jayne Bogle and the second from Fernandez.
During the match, the Bombers took plenty of shots, but only scored twice. The defense was strong and only allowed the Knights a few shots, none of which found the net, resulting in a 20– win for the Bombers.
Fernandez said the preseason games helped the team get accustomed to playing together.
“I think it’s definitely good to get our team chemistry figured out and play all together, especially [since] we played on Butterfield [and] we played on Carp,” Fernandez said. “Getting used to both surfaces [and] getting used to playing with each other I think really helps us out.”
The Bombers completed several through passes, contributing to many scoring opportunities. Fernandez said the team will often look to make through passes because of the team’s fast–paced style of play.
After the game against the Knights, head coach Mindy Quigg said she was satisfied with the offense; however, she thinks they have more potential.
“I think we have a lot of depth up top and we’re moving the ball pretty well,” Quigg said. “We’ve been really focusing a lot on shot selection and being calm on the ball, and so I think we showed that today. I think we’re capable of a lot more than what we showed today too.”
