Third times a charm.
After being named runner-up in 2021 and 2023, the No. 22 Ithaca College field hockey team finally captured its first-ever Liberty League title. The Bombers defeated the No. 20 University of Rochester Yellowjackets 2-0, in a rainy championship matchup Nov. 10 at Higgins Stadium.
“We’ve been on the losing side of this more than once,” associate head coach Mo Ordnung said. “The foundation has always been there. This team is built on love and togetherness. Today, we won as a family.”
Ithaca’s defensive star power was on display to start the match, marking the second consecutive game that the team did not allow any opposing shots in the first quarter. Instead, the Bombers led with an unrelenting offensive press.
Senior striker Natalie Descalso — who scored both goals in the Bombers’ semifinal win over Skidmore College — was the point guard of the frame, facilitating scoring opportunities for junior midfielder Eliza Ballaro and senior defenders Madeleine Goodman and Bella McCollister. Despite tallying a shot apiece from the trio, the Bombers could not convert before the first quarter closed.
The second frame brought more offensive fire from the Yellowjackets. After the Bombers continued to control offensive possession for the first five minutes of the quarter, Rochester began to develop dangerous momentum for the first time all game.
The Yellowjackets earned two consecutive penalty corners that resulted in two shots, but McCollister, alongside junior defender Reese Abrahamson and sophomore goalkeeper Maeve Clark, locked down the territory to keep Rochester off the board for the remainder of the half.
The Bombers bounced back in the second half of play with the same dominance they brought to the first. Junior striker Brenna Schoenfeld drew the Bombers’ fourth penalty corner of the competition just under five minutes into action.
Somehow finding time and room in the arc’s scrum, senior striker Juliana Valli pulled out of the chaos to launch a shot at Rochester’s junior goalkeeper Kara Houston. Houston denied the attempt, but Valli immediately gained control of the rebound and sent an aerial shot right back over Houston’s head.
“When we met before that corner, we knew we were ready,” Valli said. “I knew going into it that there would be an opportunity for a rebound so I had mentally prepared for that. When you see it hit the net and all your teammates surround you, it’s just a surreal environment.”
With the confidence of a 1-0 lead, the Bombers continued to pick up offensive momentum with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Ithaca rattled off four more shots before the horn sounded, but could not convert against the Yellowjackets’ defense.
With a new sense of urgency, Rochester entered the final quarter hungry. The Yellowjackets earned their third penalty quarter of the afternoon only two minutes into play, but sent their shot just wide of the cage. That shot was Rochester’s final opportunity to tie the score before the Bombers regained control for the remainder of the competition.
Descalso, sophomore midfielder Payton Yahner and senior midfielder Emma Garver each put shots on goal, but it was Valli once again who would earn the Bombers some insurance. In the final 90 seconds of regulation, Valli knocked down an aerial pass into the arc and — in a deja vu moment from her first goal — sent the ball directly over Houston’s helmet.
The goal, Valli’s eighth of the season, would turn the team’s championship dreams into a reality.
“Once we got that second goal, I knew we had it,” said Valli, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer. “I could look at my teammate, shake my head and say, ‘We’re good. We did it.’ It means so much — I’m still in awe.”
Despite the historic win, the Bombers are not done yet. The team earned an automatic bid to take on the Wesleyan University Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 in Middletown, CT.
