Following two consecutive losses, the Ithaca College field hockey team made a comeback statement with a dominant 2–0 showing over the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles on Sept. 21 at Higgins Stadium. The shutout improved the Bombers’ record to 4–3 and tarnished Brockport’s undefeated season, dropping their record to 6–1.
The Bombers opened up scoring less than a minute into action, with senior striker Avery Moses finding the twine only 39 seconds into play. The Bombers gained some momentum, but the early point was a wakeup call for the Golden Eagles — who played lockdown defense for the remainder of the quarter. Despite two additional shots on goal, the frame closed with the Bombers leading, 1–0.
Brockport’s junior goalkeeper Ella Buchanan put on a show during the second quarter, forcing the Bombers to play fast and efficiently. Three knock-down saves from Buchanan offered some transition opportunities for the Golden Eagles, but Bombers’ junior defender Bella McCollister was a brick wall in the midfield, distributing the ball back into Brockport’s territory.
A late-quarter penalty corner allowed the Bombers one final scoring opportunity that they did not hesitate to capitalize on. Sophomore striker Brenna Schoenfeld found the boards through the scrum with only 17.1 seconds remaining in the period. The goal, assisted by junior striker Natalie Descalso, marked Schoenfeld’s second of the season before closing out the half.
Following the intermission, the Bombers continued to dominate possession time and show promise in Golden Eagle territory. Impressive performances from Descalso and junior striker Juliana Valli continued to offer the Bombers offensive opportunities, but Brockport’s defensive line proved difficult to penetrate. Despite five total shots on goal, the third quarter closed without score.
In a similar fashion to the previous quarter, the fourth and final frame was a defensive showcase from both teams. The Golden Eagles earned an impressive four penalty quarters within the period, but senior goalkeeper Alex Clough anchored the Bombers’ defense with three saves on a total of eight shots.
The competition closed without any additional scoring, improving the Bombers’ record to 4–3 and handing the undefeated Golden Eagles their first loss of the season, dropping their record to 6–1.
Head coach Kaitlyn Wahila said opening the game with an early goal offered the Bombers the momentum they needed to dominate the game.
“We scored within the first minute, which is something we haven’t done before,” Wahila said. “It was just exciting to come out in the first quarter and be able to take control. We’ve been looking to be the ones who can show out early and do that, so it was really fun to see.”
Wahila continued that the tough competition her team has faced early in the season — including two nationally ranked squads — has provided them with adequate preparation to open up conference play Sept. 23.
“Over the last couple of days, we’ve faced some really talented opponents with [SUNY] Cortland and York [College of Pennsylvania],” Wahila said. “In practice, we’ve been able to break down some of the smaller pieces of our game to really be able to execute and compete this evening. I think this win sets us up really nicely to start conference play.”
The Bombers will face their first Liberty League opponent of the season when they travel to Schenectady to take on Union College at 5 p.m. Sept. 23.
