The Ithaca College women’s soccer team dominated early, scoring within minutes against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds on Nov. 8. The Bombers’ 2-0 win secures them a spot in the Liberty League Championship.
“We’re starting to now execute what we’re training, it’s becoming a bit more strategic and tactical, which is really nice to see the women are doing that,” head coach Mindy Quigg said.
Going into the matchup, the Bombers looked to be the better team. On Oct. 19, they beat Skidmore 2-1, and the Bombers were sitting in the No. 1 spot of the Liberty League while Skidmore had the No. 4 spot.
The Bombers opened the game with high energy, taking three shots — two on target — within the first eight minutes. They capitalized on the third shot attempt at the 7:11 mark, when senior defender Allison Heft was positioned slightly behind the box on the right side of the field for the free kick. Her free kick was crossed close to the net, where graduate student forward Rosie Bostian jumped into the area and headed the ball to the right side past the Thoroughbreds’ junior goalkeeper Avery Rogers.
The Bombers kept these scoring opportunities up through the half and by the 30-minute mark, they had six shots — three on target — while the Thoroughbreds only had one shot — none on target. The Bombers’ next best opportunity came at the 17:26 mark when graduate student midfielder Sarah Sinott crossed the ball to junior midfielder Devin Sylvia at the top right of the box. Sylvia fired a powerful shot, but it went wide left of the net.
The Thoroughbreds gained momentum shortly after the 30-minute mark with two shots from senior midfielder Ella Stone at 30:05 and 32:23. Stone’s second attempt was the Thoroughbreds’ only shot on goal in the first half — a high shot from the left to the right side of the net. However, Bombers senior goalkeeper Grace Hickey tracked the ball and made the catch.
This momentum wasn’t enough to overcome a high-energy Bombers squad, which recorded eight shots by halftime — three on goal — and maintained constant ball movement that wore down the Thoroughbreds’ defense.
“I thought we did a really nice job moving [the ball], knocking it around and playing two touch when we could,” head coach Mindy Quigg said. “Our balance was good for one another, so we were able to knock [the ball] around a bit more.”
The Bombers maintained their edge for the rest of the game, with Sinott scoring at the 46:59 mark. Junior defender Ali Amari lasered a precise pass to Sinott at the top right of the box. Sinott took a touch to lift the ball in the air, then fired it into the left side of the net past a diving Rogers. The shot sent the Bombers’ fans into a celebratory cheer as the South Hill squad led 2-0.
Just 20 seconds of gameplay later, Thoroughbred sophomore midfielder Ellianna Caporusso chipped the ball over Hickey’s head, but the Bombers’ defense sprinted in to clear it just milliseconds before it crossed the goal line, giving the South Hill fans a sigh of relief.
The Bombers kept their dominance for the rest of the match, only letting the Thoroughbreds get one shot on goal. With the win, the Bombers will host the No. 11 William Smith College Herons in the Liberty League Championship game at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Carp Wood Field.
The Bombers share a long-standing rivalry with the Herons. The South Hill squad holds an overall record of 9-24-5 against the Herons, but defeated them 1-0 earlier this season on Oct. 2. The Bombers also edged out the Herons in a penalty shootout to claim the Liberty League title in 2022, though the Herons regained the championship in 2023.
“We’re going to have to play tighter than we did today,” Quigg said. “We’re going to have to anticipate more physical play. We’re going to have to anticipate more quicker combinations.”
