ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's soccer team picked up a crucial Liberty League win on Friday afternoon, topping Skidmore, 2-0, behind goals from senior Nate Schoen and sophomore Jonathan Kyriakidis.
 
The win pushes the Bombers to 9-1-3 overall and 2-1-2 in conference play while Skidmore is now 6-3-3 on the season and 2-2-1 in the Liberty League.
 
"This was our most comprehensive Liberty League performance of the season," said Head Coach Kyle Dezotell. "We were switched on and focused from the first whistle. We defended as a group and offensively created many chances throughout the game. Fortunately we were able to finish two for a great Liberty League victory.
 
Ithaca put a goal up 21:29 into the first half. Following a foul in the box, Schoen sent a penalty kick into the right side of the net, past a diving Sebastian Bosch. The goal marks his first of his senior campaign.
 
The Bombers came out strong again to start the second half, scoring in the 63^rd minute to push their advantage to 2-0.
 
After a cross from Schoen, sophomore Drew Cohn tipped the ball to Kyriakidis, who was in front of the goal to put it away for his third goal of the season.
 
Ithaca put together one of its more impressive offensive performances against the Thoroughbreds, registering 21 shots compared to Skidmore's nine. The Bombers also had a solid day on defense, limiting the Thoroughbreds to just one shot on goal.
 
Skidmore's lone shot on goal came in the opening minutes, at the 4:25 mark, but goalkeeper Max Lichtenstein stopped Ted Roach's shot to send things the other way.
 
The Bombers' offense put a lot of pressure on Skidmore's defense from the jump.
 
Senior Nate Mansfield tested Bosch in goal for the first time in the 10^th minute, but the keeper saved his shot.
 
Following Ithaca's first goal of the game, the Bombers headed right back to their offensive end, leading to a Schoen shot in the 24^th minute, which was saved by Bosch. Schoen followed up with another shot on frame in the 38^th minute, which Bosch also stopped.
 
Skidmore finished the first half with just two shots, including a Matt Schwab header with 20 seconds left, but the shot sailed right.
 
Following the break, Ithaca continued to pressure Skidmore, registering its first shot just 38 seconds in, from Max Barish.
 
The Bombers recorded back-to-back shots in the 56^th and 57^th minutes. Cohn's shot was high before Theo Scott's on-frame shot was saved by Bosch.
 
In the 72^nd minute, Skidmore put together one of its longer offensive possessions of the half, starting with a corner kick. That led to a shot from Robbie Heumann, which was blocked out of bounds, leading to another corner kick.
 
The Bombers tested Bosch twice more before the final buzzer. In the 80^th minute, Tom Dillmann's shot was stopped before a header from Duncan Schnur was saved.
 
In addition to outshooting Skidmore, the Bombers also registered two more corner kicks.
 
Lichtenstein recorded one save on the day to improve to 7-1-3 on the season and register his seventh shutout of the year. Bosch came up with six saves for the Thoroughbreds.
 
The Bombers are back in action tomorrow at 2 p.m. when they host Union at Higgins Stadium.