ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team struggled to get the offense into the gear for the second straight outing, as the Bombers fell to eighth-ranked Rochester 2-0 on Saturday afternoon in Fauver Stadium. The loss was IC's second consecutive shutout defeat in two trips to the Flower City this week, as Ithaca lost a non-league battle against St. John Fisher 1-0 on Wednesday. Today's loss was Ithaca's first in Liberty League competition this season, lowering the team's record to 1-1 in league play and 7-3 on the year.
The game was pretty tightly contested throughout the majority of the opening half; however, the Yellowjackets pulled ahead just before the halftime horn on a goal by Nancy Bansbach with 6:48 remaining in the half. Rochester held just a 6-to-1 advantage in shot attempts at the break, while the Yellowjackets held only a 4-to-2 lead in penalty corner opportunities.
As the contest continued in the second half, Rochester began to impose its possession dominance. The eighth-ranked team in the country held a significant upper-hand in the second stanza, holding a 14-to-1 edge in shot attempts and a 13-to-1 advantage in penalty corner chances.
Despite the significant territorial edge, Ithaca showcased the disciplined hard-working defense and goalkeeping that enabled the team to achieve its best start to a season in nearly 20 years. The Bombers did well to keep the Yellowjackets off the scoreboard in the second half; however, Bansbach added her second goal of the afternoon with 26-minutes to play that really seemed to put Rochester in control down the stretch.
Junior goalie
Savanna Lenker turned in another typically strong effort, but was saddled with her second straight hard-luck loss. She finished the contest with seven saves.
Notching shot attempts for the Bombers were seniors
Meg Dowd and
Maddy Ryan. IC's captain midfielder, Ryan, was the lone shot on goal in the game for IC.
Ithaca returns to action on Thursday, October 5, when the Bombers return home for the first game of a season-long three-game homestand at Higgins Stadium. IC will welcome non-league foe Nazareth for a 5:00 p.m. contest.
