Rashad Bigelow
Senior forward Nathan Waychoff brings the ball down the field in a 1-0 win over Hobart College.
The No. 21 Ithaca College men’s soccer team secured the win over the Moravian University Greyhounds Sept. 20 with a final score of 1-0. Despite the high amount of scoring opportunities for each side, the only goal of the end-to-end game came via a Moravian defender scoring on his own net. The Bombers collected their sixth clean sheet of the year and are currently on pace to break the school’s single-season shutout record of 12, which was set in 2005.
A bright and sunny weekend afternoon began with many whistles on the Bombers. The amount of fouls committed by the South Hill squad allowed the Greyhounds to ping free kicks into the attacking third. The Bombers did not pay for their mistakes due to strong defending from graduate student midfielder Ikey Borden and junior midfielder Gustav Bauerle.
The physical play from the Bomber 11 came to an end after first-year forward Emile Antoine entered the book on a mistimed tackle on the Greyhound goalkeeper.
It took until more than 20 minutes into the match for the Bombers to settle in and begin controlling the pace of play.
Content to possess in their own half, the Bombers found ways to break down the opposition through elevated passes over the top of the Greyhound defense.
After the break, Moravian decided to switch things up tactically, pushing their fullbacks up the pitch and committing more numbers forward in hopes of attacking with more proficiency. The Bombers found a way to expose the Greyhounds’ changes, launching a flurry of counterattacks to begin the second half.
Good pressing down the right side from the Bombers caused a poor pass from Moravian that headed directly to senior forward Jared Krasnove’s feet. Picking up the ball with his back to the defenders, Krasnove turned and quickly played a pass that led senior midfielder Drew Warren into space on the right wing. Warren’s first-time cross from his right foot was intended to find Krasnove. Instead, his pass was met by the extended left leg of a Greyhound defender, redirecting the ball toward the top right corner of his own net, beating his own goalkeeper.
Unsurprisingly, the Bombers’ best periods of attacking play came when Krasnove was on the field.
“My hold up play allows me to play the [false nine] position well,” Krasnove said. “It allows my team to play more fluently.”
The goal turned the feel of the match from a tactical chess match to a box-to-box battle. The Greyhounds committed even more numbers toward the attack, attempting to wear down the Bomber defense. In response, IC sent runners forward any time a clearance was able to find the feet of their striker.
The Greyhounds’ changes saw results soon after, winning the ball off of the Bomber back line around midfield and launching an attack.
Down the right wing, Moravian played a low cross across the face of the Bomber goal, finding the right foot of their striker at the back post on top of the 6-yard box. Scrambling toward the ball, senior goalkeeper Bryson Shaull flung himself into the path of the first-time shot, making a miraculous last-ditch save off his chest.
Moravian’s attacking pressure would warrant a goal on any other day, but the Bombers’ defense remained unmoved.
With less than 20 minutes to go, Moravian mounted pressure once again. An inswinging corner found a head at the back post. A Bomber defender blocked the shot, but a poor clearance met the right-footed laces of a Greyhound attacker at the penalty spot. The low driven shot toward the left side of the goal traveled toward one of the four Bomber defenders on the line, but was met by a foot save from Shaull. The Greyhound’s third attempt from the left side of the 6-yard box comfortably missed the frame of the goal.
Before the Bombers could catch their breath, Moravian was on the attack again.
Penetrating the IC back line down the left side, another Greyhound pass to the back post beat Shaull and left a Moravian attacker facing an open net. Having no option but to shoot with his first touch, the shot went wide and the Bombers escaped unpunished.
The Bombers responded with attacks of their own, but neither side’s efforts would amount to much threat until the final game’s final seconds.
With less than a minute to go, the Greyhounds won a corner.
With South Hill supporters holding their breath, the ball flew through the air and into the crowded box. In the mix of bodies, a Greyhound head redirected the ball toward the bottom right corner. As the ball was inches from crossing the goal line, Shaull’s hands kept the game level, pushing the ball away from the feet of Moravian attackers. The Bomber defense jumped on the loose ball, clearing it away before a second shot could be put on goal.
“We have a bunch of guys getting back,” junior defender Nick Dignazio said. “Our midfielders and strikers, everyone is relentlessly defending.”
The full-time whistle blew, relieving the Bomber defenders of their duties for the day. Head coach Gabe Kuhn was unbothered by the tension-filled ending.
“A win is a win against a team that tied the 16th-best team in the country,” Kuhn said. “We’ll take it, we’ll be happy about it.”
While the Greyhounds created the better chances across the 90 minutes, the control of the game was in the hands of the Bombers.
“I thought it was our best ball movement and play this season,” Kuhn said. “It was a tough game.”
The Bombers look to tie their win total from the 2024 season at 3 p.m. Sept. 27, when they take on Vassar College at Carp Wood Field for their first Liberty League Championship matchup of the season.