The Ithaca College women’s soccer team won a hard-fought game on Carp Wood Field Oct. 5. The crowd exploded for senior midfielder Julia Cascone’s Olimpico goal, breaking an 87-minute drought, and the expected tie.

For the first 87 minutes it seemed that no matter how hard they fought or how close they got, the Bombers could not find the back of the net. The team continued to attack, never letting up. On the other hand, neither did the Saints, leaving both teams pushing back with nowhere to go — the Bombers an unstoppable force against the immovable Saints

Head coach Mindy Quigg said she felt vexed as the game continued.

“I thought it was a very frustrating game for us in terms of our execution,” Quigg said. “We looked a little fatigued from the start — mentally and physically fatigued.”

This is especially true due to the Bombers’ history with St. Lawrence. The team now has a streak of five wins, and not getting that fifth would’ve damaged the team’s chances in the Liberty League.

By the time the second half was nearly over, the stands were starting to lose hope. Each time the Bombers shot on goal and missed, an audible sigh was heard from their fans.

“It’s frustrating,” Cascone said. “I think the other team felt the same way, too, but we have a standard for Bombers soccer. That doesn’t change regardless of the score. So, we knew it was coming, we just had to keep going.”

When the Saints got too close to the Bombers’ goal, the stands started shouting encouragement, yelling for the Bombers to fight back. Then, with the clock counting down and three minutes left, Cascone shot and scored. She aimed for the low left side of the goal, scoring an Olimpico, an incredibly rare goal scored directly off a corner kick. These goals are incredibly rare because of the difficulty of scoring directly off a corner kick with no other player touching the ball. Making this moment even more exciting is the fact that this was Cascone’s first goal of the season, and her seventh in her three seasons with the Bombers.

The team and the crowd celebrated, cheering even as the game continued. Cascone said that while it was a win for the Bombers, they still had to focus on the game.

“We knew we had to see out the game, put numbers behind the ball, protect our back line and our keeper, and I think that’s exactly what we did,” Cascone said.

The last three minutes only seemed to fire up the teams further as they continued to attack with renewed energy. The Bombers side was determined to keep the Saints from getting a miracle last shot. When the game finally ended, the stands seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

With the victory, the Bombers received another three points in the Liberty League. After its three wins, the team has nine points, putting them at the top of the competition.

“I think we expected a gritty game, and that’s what they came at us with, and we were happy to walk away with three points,” Cascone said.

Quigg, while being happy with the conclusion of the game, was not content with the way the team got its win.

“It shouldn’t have been in such a dramatic fashion,” Quigg said. “I thought we were a better team, clearly, and we just needed a couple of people to fire it up. … Coming off the bench, Devon Silvia, Mia Mederes, Lily Fusco, just changed the game, got us back in our possession, combination play. And then the last 15 minutes, I thought we played the way we should.”

The Bombers play next at 2 p.m. Oct. 12 against the Clarkson University Golden Knights, in Potsdam, New York.