In a win-or-go-home matchup, the No. 22 Ithaca College field hockey team chose the former. The Bombers hosted the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, defeating them, 2-0, in the Liberty League semifinal game Nov. 8. The victory extends the Bombers’ winning streak to eight and improves their overall record to 14-5.
In Ithaca’s last meeting with Skidmore, the Bombers’ defensive line allowed zero shots from the Thoroughbreds; they began this playoff matchup with the same intensity. Once again, the Bombers shutout Skidmore in shots, 5-0, in the first quarter.
Senior strikers Natalie Descalso and Juliana Valli took the offensive initiative, distributing the ball into the arc to force three penalty corners throughout the frame. Skidmore’s senior goalkeeper Victoria Bodnar — who leads the Liberty League in saves and shutouts — managed to redirect each of the Bombers’ first-quarter opportunities and keep the score knotted at zeroes.
In similar fashion to the first frame, the Bombers continued to dominate possession in the second. Valli and junior striker Brenna Schoenfeld each tallied a shot during the frame, but Bodnar once again stood tall in the cage. Skidmore’s defensive line prevented the Bombers from advancing any further in the half.
Following intermission, the Thoroughbreds found their first offensive opportunity of the competition. Their only penalty corner of the day was quickly denied by senior defender Bella McCollister and redistributed to the Bombers’ offense. The majority of the third quarter was spent battling in the midfield and play grew increasingly chippy as both teams fought to keep their seasons alive.
About nine minutes into play, the Bombers took the first step toward a semifinal victory. During the Bombers’ fifth penalty corner of the day, senior defender Madeleine Goodman found Descalso in the right place at the right time. Descalso rocketed a drive from the left side of the cage directly toward the opposite pipe. The goal — Descalso’s sixth of the season — put Ithaca in the lead, 1-0.
“The coaches saw us practicing that play all week and they thought that was the corner that would get Skidmore’s defense off their toes,” Descalso said. “They trusted us and it worked.”
The remainder of the third quarter was spent in a defensive stalemate, with neither team finding another scoring opportunity.
Early in the final frame, the Thoroughbreds tallied their first shot against the Bombers this season, but McCollister was ever-present to shut it down. Valli and Descalso attempted shots of their own in the next five minutes, but Bodnar simply added them to her save count.
In the final three minutes of regulation, the offensive dynamic duo found time and room once again. Valli hit Descalso with a short cross pass from the right side of the arc, where Descalso executed a diving shot to slip the ball five-hole.
“1-0 is a scary lead to have, there’s no insurance on it,” Descalso said. “Getting that second goal just let the pressure ease. It almost felt like we were in the championship already, it was just the greatest feeling ever.”
Descalso’s second goal drove the final nail into Skidmore’s coffin and solidified the Bombers’ 2-0 victory. The Bombers will survive and advance to the Liberty League Championship — their second consecutive appearance — where they will take on the University of Rochester Yellowjackets at 1 p.m. Nov. 10 at Higgins Stadium.
“You can expect a lot of grit and a lot of heart,” Descalso said. “We want this more than anyone.”
