In its Fall 2024 home opener, the Ithaca College field hockey team earned a 3-1 victory over the St. John Fisher Cardinals on Sept. 1. The win improves the Bombers’ record to 2-0 overall.
The Bombers dominated possession time early in the game. Only 38 seconds into the competition, senior striker Juliana Valli earned the Bombers their first penalty corner, but Fisher senior goalkeeper Senja Matson was quick to shut down the opportunity.
The Cardinals’ strong defense allowed their offense time and room to strike first when senior striker Audrey Grieb deflected a drive into the cage. Just over a minute later, Grieb broke free to find herself one-on-one with sophomore goalkeeper Abby Cannon, but Cannon’s diving save kept the score at 1-0.
“Fisher had a good gameplan,” head coach Kaitlyn Wahila said. “They showed up and were ready to play some good field hockey. I actually like that our team had the opportunity to fight back from being down. To be challenged this early in the season and for us to come out on the winning side of it is really important.”
Midway through the quarter, the Bombers earned three back-to-back penalty corners. Despite the consecutive scoring opportunities, the team could not capitalize before the frame closed.
The Bombers opened the second frame with another penalty corner only 32 seconds into action; senior midfielder Meara Bury made a diving effort for the deflection, but tipped the ball just wide of the cage. It was Valli who scored the equalizer with 10:15 remaining in the half, sneaking one past Matson off of a save to knot the score at 1-1.
Following the halftime intermission, the squad in blue flipped the switch. The Bombers dominated possession time, outshooting the Cardinals 17-1. Just 1:44 into action, sophomore midfielder Abby Hennessy found time and room on the arc, nailing one past Matson to give the Bombers their first lead of the game.
It was not until the last 33 seconds of the quarter that the Bombers would hammer the final nail into the coffin. During the Bombers’ 14th penalty corner of the game, sophomore striker Toni Lerardi rattled off two shots before finding first-year striker Mia Woodard cross-cage. Woodard’s diving effort to hit the boards was successful, marking the first goal of her collegiate career and solidifying the Bombers’ 3-1 victory.
Since their season opener Aug. 30, the Bombers have seen seven different goal-scorers, four of which were first collegiate points. Wahila said the depth of this year’s roster will ensure that regardless of who is on the field, high-level field hockey will happen.
“Today we were able to make a lot of subs,” Wahila said. “At any given moment, there’s a bunch of different people who are getting opportunities to execute those plays. It’s super exciting. Everybody has a role — we’re not going to rely on just one or two people this season to be able to put the ball over the goal line.”
