KEENE, N.H. – The No. 25 Ithaca College men's soccer team ended its season with a 2-0 loss to No. 1 Amherst in NCAA Tournament regional final. The Bombers finish out the 2019 season with a 13-6-2 overall record.
 
The season featured several milestones for the men's soccer program, including the first NCAA Tournament bid since 2008 and the first NCAA Tournament win since 2002.
 
The Mammoths put the lone two goals on the board in the first half to take a 2-0 lead on the Bombers, which would ultimately hold until the end.
 
Following an Ithaca foul in the box, German Giammattei put in a penalty kick in the 19^th minute past a diving Max Lichtenstein in goal. Amherst added another goal in the 35^th minute as Dane Lind took a pass from Sebastian Derby and blasted it into the goal.
 
Prior to the Mammoths' second goal, the Bombers nearly had a chance to even the score, 1-1, in the 32^nd minute. With Amherst goalkeeper Bernie White out of the net, first-year Brendan Lebitsch was in the perfect spot to score and would have, but a foul was called on IC, ending the play.
 
The Mammoths continued to pressure Ithaca through the entire game, forcing Lichtenstein to make huge plays constantly.
 
The senior goalkeeper made his first save of the day on a Giammattei shot in the 13^th minute, but came up with the stop. Following the penalty kick, which Lichtenstein narrowly missed saving, he stopped an Ada Okorgheye shot in the 24^th minute.
 
Lichtenstein made the play on another Okorogheye attempt in the 28^th minute and rounded out the first half with a save on a Gabe Gitler shot in the 33^rd minute.
 
The Bombers put their lone shot-on-goal of the first half as the clock nearly ticked down to zero, but goalkeeper Bernie White stopped Ali Kapasi's ball.
 
The second half proved to be more pressure on Ithaca from the Mammoths.
 
In the 51^st minute, Giammattei blasted a ball towards goal, but Lichtenstein was there to make the save. Lichtenstein again stopped an Amherst shot, this time from Lind, in the 54^th minute. Lind had another attempted in the 60^th minute towards the bottom center, where Lichtenstein was waiting to make the stop.
 
Kapasi generated another chance for Ithaca in the 62^nd minute, but it was stopped by White to keep the Bombers off the board. Kapasi struck again in the 68^th minute with a shot on-frame, but White stayed strong, stopping the shot.
 
One of Ithaca's best chances of the game was with 19:46 remaining. Following a Bombers' corner kick, first-year Brendan Lebitsch tipped the ball to senior Kevin Turi, who blasted a shot towards the net. The shot, however, narrowly missed the goal to the left.
 
True to form, Ithaca never gave up, battling to the very end. With less than eight minutes left, senior Tom Dillmann ripped a free kick towards goal, but White was there to scoop it up for Amherst. Lebitsch then followed up with a shot, which hit the top of the cage and sailed over.
 
The Bombers had no more shots on the offensive end in the remaining minutes, but Lichtenstein made his eighth save of the game on a Giammattei ball in the 87^th minute. Giammattei went on a breakaway for the Mammoths and fired off a hard shot, but Lichtenstein dove and knocked the ball out of the way of the goal.
 
Amherst now moves on to next weekend's Sweet 16 where the Mammoths will face Rowan.