GENEVA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team hit the road for its most meaningful contest of the season on Friday evening when it made the short trip north to take-on Finger Lakes rival William Smith. The contest was a crucial game for both sides, as Ithaca entered the day needing just one win to clinch a spot in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament, while the Herons needed a win to stay alive in the postseason chase. It was IC that was able to prevail, besting the Herons in a tense 1-0 shutout to clinch the program's first conference tournament berth since joining the Liberty League as an affiliate in 2017.
 
As has been the case often this season, it was sophomore transfer Morgan Mullen that provided the offensive punch for the Bombers. The second-year striker tallied the lone goal of the day on a beautifully-worked penalty corner opportunity during the second quarter. The scoring strike was her Liberty League leading 13^th of the season, which is the most by an IC player since 2017-graduate Colleen Keegan-Twombly recorded 13 goals during Ithaca's final season as an Empire 8 affiliate in 2016.
 
The IC backline made the go-ahead goal stand up as the game-winner, as the Bombers marked their sixth clean sheet of the season. Keying the effort was senior keeper Savanna Lenker, who registered six saves in the contest to reach double-digit victories in the IC cage for a second consecutive season. First-year Meghana Caron aided the effort with a huge defensive save during the third quarter.
 
The victory was Ithaca's second straight win in the series, as IC scored a 3-2 overtime triumph on its home turf last season. It is the first time that the Bombers have been able to notch back-to-back wins against the Herons in at least two decades.
 
It was the IC defense that shown during the early stretches of the game. With so much meaning tied to the contest, especially for the host Herons who entered the day knowing it needed to win out to have a chance at the postseason, it was no surprise that William Smith jumped out on the front foot on Friday. The hosts controlled much of the opening quarter of play, launching four shot attempts in the opening 15-minutes. However, the IC backline was up to the task to keep matters scoreless into the first intermission. The highlight of the quarter came with just over two-minutes left in the period, as Lenker made successive pad stops on McKenna Williams and Lea Mateo Medina to repel a dangerous attacking chance. The Herons would earn a penalty corner on the sequence, but the IC defense was aggressive to snuff out the chance, before the Herons could generate a shot.
 
The Bombers found their footing when play resumed following the first intermission. IC controlled the second quarter from start-to-finish, generating four shots and two penalty corners in what would be the decisive frame of the contest. The scoring sequence came shortly between the midway point in the quarter, as first-year Brianna Lennon was able to earn Ithaca's first penalty corner chance of the contest with a shot attempt that was blocked illegally. On the ensuing penalty corner, sophomore Jacqueline Mirabile provided the insert and got the initial shot attempt shortly after with a re-direct towards the cage. Although the attempt was blocked down in front, Mullen was in the perfect position to swat home the rebound with a quick stick in the net-front scrum. The goal pushed Ithaca in front 1-0 with 8:17 left in the half.
 
Ithaca did not rest on its one-goal lead during the remainder of the second quarter. The Bombers earned another penalty corner a couple minutes after Mullen's go-ahead goal, but William Smith keeper Alexandra DeVito denied sophomore back Victoria Sestito on a hard slap-shot from the left wing. The score remained 1-0 heading into halftime.
 
The Herons most sustained stretch of attacking pressure came during the opening portions of the third quarter. William Smith began the second half on a huge push for an equalizer, but IC's backline was up to the task. Lenker made two saves during the eight-minute stretch, while Caron delivered a crucial defensive save to clear the ball off the goal line on a shot by Kate Barilla just under two-minutes into the resumption of play. The Bombers earned a late chance in the third quarter, as Mullen looked to add on to her league-leading goal ledger with a second goal on the day. Unfortunately, her attempt was also swept away from danger with a defensive save by Bennett Tierney.
 
Holding onto late leads or ties has been a bugaboo for IC over recent weeks, but Ithaca got over the hump on this day with a stellar performance in the fourth. Lenker delivered two more crucial saves in the quarter, while the IC backline thwarted a late penalty corner chance with three-minutes to go in regulation. It was a strong two-way effort, as the Bombers employed an aggressive midfield posture to hem the Herons in their own zone for much of the final quarter. The recipe was good for the team's sixth shutout of the year.
 
Ithaca will be back in action on Sunday, October 27, when the Bombers return to Higgins Stadium to celebrate Senior Day during a 1:00 p.m. clash against University of Rochester. The Bombers and Yellowjackets both enter the contest with 5-1 records in Liberty League play. The game will effectively be a preview of the Liberty League Tournament Semifinal with the winner earning homefield advantage for that eventual rematch on Wednesday, November 6.