ITHACA, N.Y. – Coming off a thrilling double-overtime triumph over No. 19 RPI on Wednesday, the 15^th-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team heads back to the road this Saturday for a rematch against undefeated No. 1 RIT in the Liberty League Championship Game. The game is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.
 
No. 15 Ithaca (15-2) vs. No. 1 RIT (17-0)
Saturday, May 5, 2018 | 1:00 PM | RIT Turf Field
 
Game Coverage
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Last Time Out
Ithaca is flying high into this weekend after scoring a thrilling road victory over 19^th-ranked RPI in double-overtime this past Wednesday. The Bombers battled back from a 5-2 deficit after 15-minutes to level the game at 6-6 at halftime. Ithaca pulled ahead for the first time 7-6 with 12:57 left in the game, but the Engineers tied things up with 2:46 to play to send the game to extra time. After a scoreless first overtime, junior Josh Della Puca fired home a laser from the left wing 41-seconds into the second overtime to send Ithaca to the 8-7 sudden-victory triumph.
 
Regional Rankings
Ithaca sits in strong position in the latest release of the NCAA Regional Rankings that were distributed during Wednesday afternoon's game. IC jumped one spot to fifth in the region, sitting behind No. 1 RIT, as well as three nationally-ranked NESCAC programs in No. 4 Amherst, No. 6 Tufts, and No. 5 Wesleyan (Conn.). IC's postseason resume was further bolstered with their win over No. 19 RPI, which ranked sixth in the latest regional rankings. The Bombers now are 4-2 against teams in the region, holding wins over Coast Guard, No. 18 St. Lawrence and Union.
 
Previous Meeting – RIT
Ithaca and RIT met three weeks back in a midweek matchup at Higgins Stadium on April 11. The Tigers controlled the matchup from the outset, but really pushed things into high gear with a five-goal scoring run in the second quarter that sent RIT into halftime with a 9-3 lead. Although Ithaca outscored RIT 5-2 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers had put things out of reach by that point in the 19-9 win.
 
Scoring Streaks
Headlining Ithaca's really strong finish to the season has been junior Josh Della Puca. He has tallied at least one point in every game this series, but has pushed things to another level in recent weeks. The third-year midfielder has posted multiple goals in three of the last four games, while he has racked up 14 points over that stretch.
 
Lock-Down Defense
The Bombers defense has also been quite solid all season, but has ratcheted things up another level during the final sprint. IC has conceded just seven goals in each of the past three games, while it has taken over vast stretches of the past few games. The Ithaca backfield held the Engineers off the board for over 30-minutes of game action spanning the second, third and fourth quarters in their double-overtime win on Wednesday. The defense will need to be equally strong against an RIT squad that ranks among the nation's leaders in terms of offensive statistics.
 
Up Next
The NCAA Division III Tournament Committee will release its 2018 Tournament Bracket on Sunday, May 6, at 9:30 p.m.