With a 0-0 score and under five minutes remaining in the game, the Hamilton College Continentals’ first-year forward Troy Miller caught the Ithaca College men’s soccer team off guard, firing the ball through junior goalkeeper Bryson Shaull’s legs.
Already on a roll, Miller sealed the deal less than three minutes later, placing the ball in the net from the top left of the box to end the game in a 2-0 Bombers defeat.
Senior Bombers midfielder Landon Hellwig was satisfied with how his squad fought, but said the team must get the ball into the net going forward.
“I thought we played really well, we just couldn’t finish,” Hellwig said. “In tight games like that, you gotta finish or else they’re gonna pounce on you and score like they did, and we just got unlucky today.”
Going into the matchup, the Bombers had the edge with a 16-15-5 overall record against Hamilton. However, the Continentals won the past two matchups in 2022 and 2023.
The first half presented plenty of scoring opportunities for the Bombers and the Continentals, but both nets remained empty. The Bombers had six shots — four on target — with their best chance coming at 31:29. Junior forward Jared Krasnove kicked the ball past the goalkeeper off a corner kick, but a Hamilton player cleared the ball away right before it went in.
The Continentals attacked Ithaca’s side of the field with seven shots — two on target that easily landed in Shaull’s hands. The Bombers’ defensive trio of sophomore Nick Dignazio and juniors Jack Walker and Riley Donelan locked the fort down, letting no easy shots through.
Going into the second half, the Bombers kept their scoring opportunities up with Krasnove and Hellwig leading the charge. The Bombers were utilizing throw-ins, crosses and corner kicks into the box to try to head the ball in the net. This strategy almost worked, but Continentals’ sophomore goalkeeper Finn Wheeler was playing lights-out, making eight saves all game and not letting a single ball into the net. Hellwig said the team is going to have to work on shot selection going forward.
“We just got to create more high quality chances, and less random headers in the box, more clear shots just on frame for us,” Hellwig said.
At 85:23, the momentum switch flipped. Continentals’ senior midfielder Pandelis Margaronis chipped the ball over the Bombers’ defense to find Miller’s foot. Miller fired the ball past a sliding Walker and through Shaull’s legs to make the score 1-0 and leave the stands at Carp Wood Field in shock.
Not even three minutes later, Miller got the ball at the top left of the box and shot it diagonally into the right side of the net. The goal sealed the game, with the Continentals winning 2-0. Reflecting on this, Hellwig said it is critical to stay locked in the whole 90 minutes of the game.
“We’ve had a history this season of letting up goals in those critical times: like five minutes before the half, five minutes at the end of the game, five minutes into the game,” Hellwig said. “We just gotta lock those down and stay simple and not let up goals like we do most of the season.”
With the loss, the Bombers’ record goes to 5-4. The South Hill squad will play St. Lawrence University at 3 p.m. Oct. 5 in Canton, New York.
