The Ithaca College men’s soccer team fell to the Hobart Statesmen in a grueling 3-2 loss Oct. 8 at Carp Wood Field, adding a third game to the Bombers’ two game losing streak. The Bombers battled out a long 90 minutes with the Statesman battling much in the center of the field and not in front of either goal.
On a cold, windy day on South Hill, the Bombers led in the very first minutes of the game, sending Hobart into a haze trying to find their footing. The Bombers came into the game looking for a simple win after a two game losing streak. IC started strong with a quick cross into Hobart’s goal, which was quickly blocked away. Seconds later, graduate student midfielder Jack Longo assisted senior forward Jarred Krasnove for the first goal of the game.
Just minutes into the first half, IC had found ways to infiltrate the Statesmen’s defense, testing Hobart’s senior goalkeeper Tommy Chyzowych. The South Hill squad started with good momentum to continue throughout the game, taking advantage of Hobart’s rocky start and their inability to hold possession of the ball.
It was not until 10 minutes into the first half that Hobart’s players found their rhythm with one another. There was a clear shift in power from the Bombers to the Statesmen when Hobart senior midfielder Quinn Phillips took a penalty shot, netting Hobart’s first goal. Phillips opened the floodgates for Hobart to find connections on the field.
Not long after, 19 minutes into the half, Horbart placed another goal in the back of the net, shooting the ball low and to the right. There was little senior goalkeeper Bryson Shaull could do to stop the second goal by the Statesmen.
The Bombers’ second-half response was led by graduate student midfielder Ikey Borden, who scored a goal in the low right corner of the net. Borden was not only key on offense but on the defense as well. He was instrumental in stopping the Statesmen from getting more shots on goal by throwing his body in front of shots.
The Statesmen made another goal 22 minutes into half, pushing the Bombers to step on the gas late into the second half to try and find an equalizer. Even with several corner kicks, IC was not able to capitalize on those moments. When the Bombers had an opportunity to score off a free kick just outside the box, they failed to connect. Five Hobart players made a wall in front of the goal to try and block the Bomber offence chances, the wall staying strong throughout the free kick play. Unsuccessful in a goal, the Bombers made three more corner kicks, but Chyzowych denied many strong chances for an IC goal.
After the Bombers had a hard battle on the field, head coach Gabe Kuhn said that in the future, the team can work on making the most of the opportunities that come their way.
“We just [have] to limit mistakes and capitalize on some opportunities,” Kuhn said. “But I mean, the guys work hard. It’s a top 25 team.”
Shaull said the Hobart team has played well leading up to this game and what shows a lot about Statesmen and the Bombers.
“We played well against probably the best team in the league right now, and a team that’s going to be incredibly highly ranked by the end of the year,” Shaull said.
In saying that, the Bombers did not let the Statesmen’s reputation get the best of them and still laid everything out on the field, only losing by one goal.
The Bombers won many duels on the field between players, but could not make the ball find the back of the net. As they came back from this loss, Shaull said he believes his team played well but could not seal the deal on the score.
“It’s a game that I think all [37] of us can confidently say we probably should have won, but it is what it is,” Shaull said. “It gives us a boost of confidence coming into the rest of the games here [and] a chip on the shoulder that’ll be beneficial to us. Our backs are up against the wall, we have to win now.”
For future games, Kuhn believes the Bombers have what it takes to win, but they have to break down the opponent to find opportunities to score.
“[The team has] to prepare and get ready for [the Oct. 11 game],” Kuhn said. “As simple as that, but it has got to be hunting for the ball and really fighting for a win.”
Looking forward to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in Troy, New York where the Bombers will continue conference play, facing the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers.
