The Ithaca College field hockey team celebrated senior day with a thrilling shootout victory over the No. 17 Ursinus College Bears. The 2-1 win marks the Bombers’ final regular season game and improves their record to 13-5.

The Bombers wasted no time setting the tone. Just over a minute into the competition, senior defender Madeleine Goodman stole the ball away from an Ursinus striker and sent it deep into the center of the arc. On the receiving end, senior midfielder Catherine Papa found space to send it over the goal line and put the Bombers in the lead, 1-0. 

Ithaca continued to dominate possession — managing to register three more shots and two penalty corners in the quarter —  but could not convert against the Bears’ defense.

The Bears entered the second quarter with more urgency, earning their first penalty corner of the competition about six minutes into play. After a battle in the midfield, the penalty corner resulted in the first scoring opportunity of the frame for either team. An Ursinus striker tested sophomore goalkeeper Maeve Clark, but Clark swiftly shut down the play.

The Bears put one more shot on goal, but could not create any offensive momentum. The Bombers registered a penalty corner and a shot, but did not extend their lead before the half closed. 

Midfield play grew increasingly more chippy following the start of the second half. Both teams began to find more offensive opportunities, but defensive play was steady on both sides of the field. The Bombers found only one shot off of a penalty corner early in the frame while the Bears rattled off four shots.

Clark held her ground in the cage, keeping the Bears off the board and the Bombers in the lead as the third quarter ended. 

In the fourth quarter, the Bears finally found their momentum. About five minutes into play, Ursinus earned five consecutive penalty corners, the last of which proved successful. Following a pass from the top of the arc, an Ursinus striker slipped the ball past Clark to tie the competition with nine minutes remaining in regulation.

With a newfound sense of urgency, the Bombers worked to find the lead once again. In eerily similar fashion, the Bombers earned five consecutive penalty corners of their own. However, the Bears’ defensive unit kept the score knotted.

In a hail mary effort, the Bombers pressed into Ursinus territory as the final minute melted off of the clock. They could not convert before regulation concluded, sending the competition into a 10-minute, 7-on-7 overtime period. 

Clark’s composure in the cage was showcased in the first overtime period. When senior midfielder Emma Garver was issued a green card three minutes into play — putting the Bombers at a 7-on-6 disadvantage — Clark anchored Ithaca’s defensive penalty corner unit to keep victory hopes alive. 

“I have so much confidence in the defense in front of me,” Clark said. “I knew they would kill it. There’s a different kind of energy [in overtime], but my teammates invoke so much confidence in me.”

When the playing field became even again, the Bombers were able to pressure into the Bears’ territory and put a shot on goal. However, the score remained even to send the game into a second overtime period. 

Clark and senior defender Bella McCollister once again anchored the Bombers in the second period, fending off two penalty corners and four shots from the Bears. The Bombers were able to tally three shots in the period, but the evenly skilled defenses held the score to a stalemate. 

When neither team was able to score in overtime, the senior day matchup was sent to a best of five shootout — the Bombers’ first of the season. Ithaca ultimately out-scored the Bears, 4-2, with successful strokes from senior striker Natalie Descalso, senior midfielder Meara Bury, junior striker Brenna Schoenfeld and sophomore midfielder Abby Hennessy. 

Clark shut down two of the Bears’ four shooters and tallied 13 total saves on the day. 

“I knew I had to do everything in my power to keep the ball out of the net,” Clark said. “Our team works so hard and we wanted that win so badly that, going in, I knew I had to do everything I could.”

Having clinched the top seed in the Liberty League playoffs, the Bombers will return to Higgins Stadium on Nov. 8 where they will take on the winner of the William Smith College and Skidmore College matchup.