ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca College men's soccer team will kick-off the 2015 campaign on Friday, September 4 when the Bombers take on Medaille College before battling host Oneonta State on Saturday in the Oneonta Tournament.  In all, Ithaca has 16 games on the docket including seven contests against Empire 8 competition.

The Bombers are coming off a season in which they went 6-8-3 overall and qualified for the Empire 8 Championship after compiling a 5-1-1 mark in conference play.  Ithaca, which secured the second overall seed, would go on to play for the conference crown after dispatching of Utica College, 1-0, in the semifinal round of play.

Patrick Ouckama will begin his first season as head coach after taking over for Andy Byrne who retired after compiling a 301-174-58 overall record in 31 seasons at the helm.

"It feels fantastic to be holding the reigns," remarked Ouckama.  "There's a lot of potential on this team, and from a personal standpoint, it means a lot to me having played here and been an assistant coach.  I'm excited for the season to start and hope we can continue to build upon a culture of excellence both on and off the field."

Ithaca will be strong on both sides of the ball with several key returners from last year's squad including three players who were selected as All-Conference by the Empire 8.  The Bombers return a talented corps of defensive players that ranked third in the Empire 8 last season after allowing 26 goals in 17 games.  Ithaca played 10 games in which it surrendered only one goal to go along with four shutouts overall, which ranked among the most of any Empire 8 opponent.

 Offensively, Ithaca returns five of its top seven scorers from last season's team as the Bombers look to build on a solid foundation of returning players and incoming freshmen.

"We're definitely getting stronger and deeper heading into this season," said Ouckama.  "There's going to be a lot of competition for playing time and I think that will push everyone to give their best day-in and day-out."
 
The Bombers are set to host seven games this season at Carp Wood Field and will open the home portion of their schedule against rival SUNY Cortland at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9 as part of a three-game home stand capped by their conference opener against Utica on September 19.

After heading south to duel Scranton College on September 23, The Bombers will return home for two games against St. John Fisher College and Hobart, respectively, before taking on defending Empire 8 champion, Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, N.J. on October 3.

Ithaca will host Hamilton College on October 6 before playing five of its final six games on the road including a three-game stretch in eight days against Houghton, Nazareth and Skidmore beginning October 10.

The Bombers will play their final home game of the regular season on October 24 against Elmira and will close out their remaining schedule on the road against R.I.T. and Alfred.