On Sept. 28, the nationally ranked No. 18 Ithaca College field hockey team returned home to open up Liberty League play with a dominant 3-1 victory over the Union College Garnet Chargers. The victory improves the Bombers’ record to 6-3 and 1-0 in the conference.
The first quarter was overpowered by Bomber possession. In the brief moments that Union would press into scoring territory, senior defender Bella McCollister was quick to redistribute the ball into the Bombers’ half of the field.
The Bombers earned six penalty corners throughout the quarter and senior midfielder Emma Garver led with two shots on goal, but the Bombers’ offense failed to convert before the horn sounded. The Garnet Chargers could not register a shot through the Bombers’ solid defense.
Union’s offensive push caught the Bombers off guard early in the second quarter when the Garnet Chargers earned their first penalty corner of the competition. However, the Bombers were quick to regain and keep a tight grip on their possession for the remainder of the half.
The South Hill squad earned two consecutive penalty corners about halfway through the second quarter, the second one broke the 23-minute stalemate. From the top of the arc, Garver uncorked a drive that rattled the boards on impact to put the Bombers in the lead 1-0.
“It was electric, honestly,” Garver said. “It’s an indescribable feeling, but goals like that really build our momentum and keep us going for the rest of the game. As soon as we score once, we’re hungry for more.”
A one-point lead, however, was not quite enough.
With two seconds remaining in the half, the Bombers earned their ninth penalty corner of the day. In a trick play to the left side of the cage, senior striker Juliana Valli put a back-handed buzzer-beater past Union’s goalkeeper, bringing the crowd to its feet. Valli’s third goal of the season closed out the quarter and gave the Bombers a 2-0 lead.
The Bombers lost none of their steam following the intermission. Another two consecutive penalty corners rendered a similar sequence of events to the prior quarter. When Valli planted on the left side of the cage, Garver found time and room to send her the ball. A quick deflection put another tally next to Valli’s name and extended the Bombers’ lead to three.
About three minutes later, Union’s offense began to gain some momentum. The Garnet Chargers were able to fire two shots off of a penalty corner, but sophomore goalkeeper Maeve Clark anchored the Ithaca defense to keep Union out of scoring position. The third quarter closed without further scoring and the Bombers leading 3-0.
The Bombers out-possessed the Garnet Chargers until the final 90 seconds of regulation, when Union earned a penalty stroke to give Union first–year striker Maddie Monaghan a 1-on-1 opportunity against Clark. For the first and final time in competition, the Garnet Chargers were able to capitalize and cut the lead to 3-1. However, the Bombers’ dominant lead secured their first in-conference victory.
The Bombers will face the No. 20 SUNY Geneseo Knights in a road matchup 4 p.m. Oct. 2 in Geneseo, New York.
