PINE VALLEY, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team experienced the whole spectrum of emotions on Saturday afternoon when it took on Elmira College in the final day of the regular season. Although the Bombers sat in fourth place entering the day, they needed a victory and some tiebreaker help in an effort to secure a berth to the Empire 8 Tournament.
 
On the strength of a five-goal second half, IC got the victory it needed over the Soaring Eagles. However, Ithaca found itself on the outside-looking-in at the end of the day, as Washington & Jefferson downed Stevens 3-2. All three teams finished conference play with a 5-3 record, but through tiebreakers, the Ducks and Presidents secured the final two positions in the conference tournament. Ithaca concludes the year with an 8-7 overall record.
 
Playing on natural grass for the first time this season, the unorthodox playing surface did little to slow down the Ithaca attack. IC outshot Elmira 27-to-4 in the contest, which included a 16-to-1 edge in shots on goal.
 
Junior, Amanda Schell, staked the Bombers to an early 1-0 lead just 4:25 into the game. Finding herself on the receiving end of an excellent pass from junior, Michaela Donohue, she converted the easy tap-in shot past bewildered Elmira keeper, Renata Lizak. The goal went on to stand up as the game-winner in the shutout victory.
 
The Bombers dominated the territorial advantage throughout the rest of the opening half. IC allowed a single shot attempt by the Soaring Eagles, but was unable to add on to the lead, as the game remained 1-0 into halftime.
 
Donohue took matters into her own hands in the second session, giving Ithaca some breathing room with a goal in the 45^th minute of play. The combination of Donohue and senior, Colleen Keegan-Twombly, has been red-hot down the stretch this season. The duo struck again to double the IC advantage, as Keegan-Twombly found Donohue at the back door for the goal. It marked the fourth straight game Donohue has scored a goal.
 
The Bombers blew the game open with two goals over a 1:49 span roughly seven minutes later. Senior, Cassie Schuttrumpf, started the barrage with a great individual effort. She stickhandled possession into the arc, eluding a defender, before ripping a rocket into the cage. Donohue tallied her second of the game shortly thereafter, deflecting a shot by senior, Lauren Delia, past substitute goalie Tina O'Donnell. Suddenly, the contest was 4-0, more than enough for Ithaca to hold onto down the stretch.
 
Keegan-Twombly added to her team-leading goal scoring mark in the 62^nd minute when she netted her 13^th of the season off a rebound. Delia capped the scoring in the 68^th minute when she converted on a nice area pass by Schuttrumpf. It was Delia's eighth goal of the season, extending her career high for goals in a season.
 
Senior keeper, Katie Lass, finished with one save in 70 minutes of action to notch the shutout.