ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team made its much anticipated home debut on Saturday afternoon, as it welcomed Utica College to Higgins Stadium for the opening of the Empire 8 Conference slate. The Bombers scored three times in the second half to pull away from the Pioneers for their first victory of the 2016 season.
 
"We have been really coming together as a team over recent practices and I thought we had an excellent pregame warmup, which we translated into a strong effort today," head coach Tracey Houk said. "I'm really proud of how hard the team worked and it really was a collective effort in getting the win today."
 
The two sides got off to a bit of a tentative start to the game, but before long the contest turned into an up-and-down battle throughout the final 20 minutes of the first half. The Pioneers arguably created the better chances in the opening half, but Ithaca goalkeeper, Katie Lass, was sharp from the opening whistle. She denied all four Utica shots at cage during the opening half, while she made several other smart plays to quickly come off her line to stymie scoring chances by the visitors.
 
The Bombers began to assert their presence in the offensive end during the latter stages of the first half. IC's best look of the first 35 minutes came when senior Lauren Delia corralled a pass in the center of the scoring arc. In one motion, she turned her back to the defender to protect possession, before firing a backhand shot that sailed just wide of the far post.
 
The two teams went to the break with neither side making a dent on the scoreboard, but the prevailing feeling was that the Bombers offense was ready to explode during the second session.
 
"Utica is a tough opponent," Houk continued. "They are well coached and have some skilled and physical players," Houk continued. "We did a good job of keeping the intensity high throughout the game and I think that helped us as the game continued."
 
With temperatures approaching triple-digits at field level, both teams had a steady rotation of substitutions in an effort to keep players fresh. However, it was Ithaca's conditioning that shown through during the second session. The Bombers outshot the Pioneers 17-to-4 in the final 35 minutes to pull away for the victory.
 
It did not take long for IC to break the deadlock on the scoreboard when play resumed in the second half. The Bombers gained possession and made a quick incursion into the attacking third of the field, drawing a penalty corner just one minute into the half.
 
On the resume, Delia inserted the ball to Cassie Schuttrumpf who immediately bumped possession to Amanda Schell. The junior launched a hard shot toward cage, which senior Colleen Keegan-Twombly deflected in from her central position five-yards off the goal line. Utica keeper, Samantha Whitehouse, had no chance, as the pace of the deflection rocketed into the back of the cage.
 
It took Ithaca only 1:20 to double the lead. Keegan-Twombly again was heavily involved in the play. She made a deft play to steal a pass on the left wing, immediately launching a counterattack down the left wing. As Whitehouse came out to cut down the shooting angle, Keegan-Twombly made an excellent pass to Michaela Donohue who was making a bee-line toward the right post. Donohue easily gained separation from the defender and guided the pass home for her first goal of the season.
 
"Colleen is such a versatile player and it showed today," Houk said. "She is so good with her stick-work in the offensive end, but as we saw today she is so good with her defense work and transitioning from defense to offense."
 
The Bombers offense continued to put the pressure on as the half continued. IC forced six penalty corners during the second session, but Whitehouse did well to keep the Pioneers within striking distance. The Utica keeper made 12 saves in the second half and 14 total in the game. When the Pioneers got brief flashes of offensive opportunity, Lass was there to shut the door for IC. She stopped all four Utica shot attempts in the second half, finishing with eight saves to mark her first shutout of the season.
 
"I thought the team's conditioning really made the difference today," Houk said. "We looked fresh and energized throughout the game despite the really difficult conditions."
 
Ithaca iced the game with 1:26 remaining, as Keegan-Twombly and Donohue connected for a second time on the day. Junior Kelsey Chatterton started the play from her own defensive third. The Ithaca left back sent a long stretch pass into open space down the right wing. Donohue beat her defender and moved in on goal with Keegan-Twombly providing a passing outlet on the left. On the receiving end of a pass during the first half, Donohue was on the giving end this time around, sending the pass across the arc, which Keegan-Twombly hammered into the cage.
 
The Bombers will have a quick turnaround coming off their first victory of the season, as IC continues its homestand with a 4:00 p.m. contest against SUNY Oneonta on Tuesday, September 13.
 
"We will not have a lot of down time with only one practice before facing another tough opponent on Tuesday," Houk said. "I think we are really starting to hit our stride and we will be ready for Tuesday."