Ithaca College women’s lacrosse fell to the Hamilton College Continentals 17-11 April 22 in a highly contested match. The Continentals’ powerful offense, coupled with their suffocating defense, left the Bombers unable to overcome the deficit.
This was the Bombers’ first defeat at Higgins Stadium since their last loss to the Continentals in 2023.
The first quarter looked promising for both teams, and with spirits high, they charged at each other in a physical matchup. Hamilton broke the ice with an early goal 1:37 in, capitalizing on gaps in the Bombers’ defense.
The next goal put Hamilton up 2-0, but a ground ball pickup from graduate student attacker Hayley Armstrong turned into an assist when sophomore midfielder Kelly Augeri nailed the first Blue and Gold goal of the game under five minutes in.
A relatively slow frame wrapped up with one more goal from Hamilton to bring the score to 3-1. Even when the Bombers were assertive on defense, the Continentals’ attackers managed to wrap around and reach the net.
The second quarter saw an onslaught of goals — for the visiting team. Under two minutes into the quarter, senior midfielder Elizabeth Green was facing down just one defender and the goalie, but she hesitated to take the shot as the opponent caught up. She then drew a free position and converted to the cheers of her teammates.
Hamilton responded with 9:11 left, and the barrage began. The Continentals went on a 10-0 run, hammering goal after goal past the defense and out of reach of the Bombers’ first-year goalkeeper Mikaela Dattilo.
Nine goals into the run, the Continentals called a timeout to storm the field in celebration of senior attacker Aine Cleary’s 100th career goal. Throughout the matchup, the Hamilton bench had been vocal and energetic, singing during every draw control and filling the stadium with its cheers for goals, saves and turnovers.
The Continentals appeared to be relaxing into their lead, but the Bombers had a new sense of urgency, and the drought finally ended with junior midfielder Lily Cody’s first goal of the game.
“[We had] the mindset of defending our field and realizing that there needs to be a switch if we want to come back and still be in this game,” Cody said. “We got the ball moving and we were able to get it down the field quick[ly], which is really effective. Now that we realize that, we can move that forward.”
With that goal, the home team swung the game in its favor with a 5-0 run through the third quarter, bringing the 11-point deficit to 13-7.
We started working harder,” assistant coach Madison Mulligan said. “We started executing things and sticking to our systems. We saw things working and it built momentum.”
The rest of the game whipped back and forth as caused turnovers and ground balls abounded, with both teams exchanging goals throughout the second half.
The South Hill squad’s attackers held strong in the ride, pressuring the goalie and defenders to scramble for options after a turnover, but the Bombers failed to convert fast enough. A nearly silent crowd watched as the sun set on the chance of a home victory, with Hamilton repeatedly rushing the crease for eight points in the latter two frames.
With a goal in the final few minutes, the Bombers crept into double digits for what looked like a 17-10 final, but graduate student midfielder Lexi Kellish capitalized on one last deflection to score with 11 seconds left. As was evident throughout the game, time ran out too quickly for the Bombers, and a cheering Hamilton team rushed the field.
“The level of intensity that we finished the game with is what we’re gonna expect [the players] to pick right back up with at practice,” Mulligan said.
The Bombers will conclude their regular season against the Skidmore Thoroughbreds at 1 p.m. April 26 at Higgins Stadium for Senior Day.
“[Senior Day] is going to be a really emotional game,” Cody said. “We want to play for one another and our seniors and leave it all out on the field.”
