After taking 18 shots — five on target — the Ithaca College men’s soccer team wasn’t able to score a victory over the Misericordia University Cougars on Oct. 9, ending the game at 0-0. The Bombers defense remained dominant as they held the Cougars to only 10 shots.
Heading into the matchup, the Bombers appeared dominant over the Cougars. The South Hill squad entered the game with a 5-4-1 record, while the Cougars stood at 2-5-2. Additionally, the Bombers had defeated Wilkes University 5-0 on Sept. 2, a team that the Cougars lost to 2-1 on Sept. 14. Although the Bombers held a 2-0 all-time record against Misericordia, the teams hadn’t faced each other in over 19 years.
The Bombers came out full of energy, constantly pushing the ball up the field. About 25 minutes in, the Bombers had five shots — three on target. They also created several scoring opportunities, but were unable to get a shot off. One of their best chances came when first-year student midfielder Joshua Bourdoulous played a deep through-ball to sophomore forward Jack Carney. Carney broke past two defenders, but he was pulled down before he could take his shot at the 15:54 mark. Despite Carney and other Bomber players looking and shouting for a call, no foul was called.
At the 24:44 mark, Carney passed the ball to sophomore defender Nick Dignazio at the top of the box. Dignazio placed a long shot that looked like it had a chance to sneak itself into the bottom right corner, but Cougars’ senior goalkeeper Charlton Alonso was able to catch the ball.
Arguably the best opportunity of the half came from junior forward Jared Krasnove at the 38:39 mark. Krasnove outran the Cougars’ defense and got a shot off just before a defender closed in at the top of the box, but the attempt sailed high. Both teams went into the locker room with the score knotted at 0-0. The Bombers had nine shots — four on goal — and the Cougars only had two shots — one on goal.
The second half was slower than the first half, with a lack of production and shots on target from both sides of the field. The Bombers remained dominant in possession time, but were not able to get as many quality shots off as they did in the first half. Credit goes to the Bombers’ defense because the Cougars had only four shots with 18 minutes remaining. Junior defenders Riley Donelan and Jack Walker were standout performers, with Donelan executing several key sliding tackles and Walker repeatedly clearing the ball and pushing it downfield. Walker said he and Donelan were locked in for the day.
“We were just really prepared,” Walker said. “We work well together, and we were just really excited for the game. We knew we could take care of their strikers.”
With the rain starting at the 77-minute mark, both teams remained scoreless. The Cougars increased their pressure, managing four shots in the final stretch. Still, the Bombers’ defense held firm, not letting the ball go in. The South Hill squad was not able to get a shot near the net for the remainder of the game, with most of their attempts sailing off target. When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard still showed 0-0, and the game ended in a tie. Walker said the team has to capitalize on their opportunities for future games.
“I think we just need to realize that when we get our chances, we got to take them,” Walker said. “And then [in] training, we got to treat it just like a game, and if we do that, we [can] translate to the game going forward, so we can start putting balls away.”
With the tie, Ithaca’s record goes to 5-4-2 on the season. The Bombers stay at home for their next match against the Clarkson University Golden Knights at 2 p.m. Oct. 12.
