ITHACA, N.Y. - The nationally-ranked Ithaca College women's soccer team will begin its Empire 8 title defense when it opens the season at 4 p.m. on September 1 against Keuka College at Carp Wood Field. The No. 25 Bombers will take part in 17 regular season games overall including eight contests against Empire 8 competition.
Last season, Ithaca posted a 15-4-1 overall record including a 7-1-0 mark in Empire 8 play en route to its 12th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance where the Bombers played into the second round after defeating Springfield College in the opening round of action.
The Bombers are set to return several key players from last year's squad including 10 student-athletes that were named All-Conference by the Empire 8. Kelsey King, Aimee Chimera and Beth Coppolecchia were each named First-Team and would go on to be named All-Stars by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) while Sarah Woychick, Holly Niemiec and Lindsey Parkins were tabbed Second-Team. Jess Demczar, Taylor Baranowsky and Kendall Cirella each received an Honorable Mention.
Offensively, Ithaca, which led the conference in scoring average with over two goals per contest, returns eight of its top 10 scorers including King whose 33 points ranked third among all conference players. Woychick will also return for her senior season after posting 21 total points as a junior, which was fifth-most in the Empire 8. Niemiec returns at forward after leading the team with eight assists last season.
On the other side of the ball, Ithaca boasts one of the top defenses in the country after allowing only 15 goals in 20 games during the 2014 season. The Bombers posted a conference-best 11 shutouts last season and ranked 43rd in the nation with a .550 shutout percentage.
Coppolecchia returns in goal for Ithaca after posting 15 wins last season. The Katonah, N.Y. native ranked second overall among all conference netminders with a .751 goals against average while her .857 save percentage was among the conference leaders.
Entering her 22nd season in 2015, head coach Mindy Quigg sits just four wins away from becoming only the 14th coach in Division III Women's soccer to have reached the 300-win plateau. During Quigg's tenure, the Bombers have qualified for the NCAA Championship 18 times and have reached the semifinal round twice in that span.
Ithaca will play six games in total at Carp Wood Field in the fall. After taking on the Wolfpack, the Bombers will travel to Glassboro, N.J. to battle Rowan and Ursinus, respectively, in the Rowan College Tournament before returning to campus to host Farmingdale State on September 12.
The Bombers will play their next three contests on the road beginning with a two-game tournament in Rochester against William Smith College followed by either SUNY Cortland or Rochester on September 20. Ithaca will conclude the short road trip at Alfred three days later in what will be its conference opener.
Ithaca plays host to Stevens Institute of Technology on September 26 and will travel to Oneonta four days later to duke it out with Hartwick in an Empire 8 showdown before returning to the friendly confines of Carp Wood Field to face Houghton on October 3.
After an eight day break, Ithaca will play two non-conference road games in two days with stops at R.I.T. and Oneonta before jumping back into conference play with a home match against the St. John Fisher Cardinals on October 17.
The Bombers will play their final two road contests of the year when they face Elmira on October 20 and Nazareth on October 24.
Ithaca will close out its regular season with a quick two-game home stand against Misericordia on October 28 and Utica on the Halloween.
