POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – For the second straight contest this week, the Ithaca College men's lacrosse team mustered some late heroics to pull out a crucial victory in the Liberty League chase. Junior Ryan Ozsvath netted a go-ahead goal with 8.6-seconds remaining to lift the Bombers past a scrappy Vassar side on Saturday afternoon in IC's first road game in league play. The victory improves Ithaca's record to 6-2 on the season and 3-1 in Liberty League competition.
 
The league slate always brings with it some unexpected surprises and some interesting twists and turns. The Bombers and Brewers could not have been entering Saturday's game with more different trajectories. While IC was coming off a thrilling 12-11 double-overtime victory over 18^th-ranked St. Lawrence, Vassar was at the other end of the spectrum in limping out to just a 2-6 start to the season and an 0-2 mark in Liberty League action. However, when you get to league play, any opponent is dangerous and that fact certainly was the case this afternoon.
 
The final minutes of action were a rollercoaster ride of emotions for IC. The Bombers seemed to have things well in-hand leading 13-9 at the midway point of the quarter; however, in the blink of an eye that lead completely evaporated. The Brewers pumped in four consecutive goals over a 2:37 span with Tomas Meade putting the bookend on the stretch with two scoring tallies to tie the contest up at 13-all. Although Ozsvath briefly elevated Ithaca back on top 14-13 with 4:05 to play, Meade responded with his third goal of the quarter to bring things back to level terms with 1:53 left, setting up a heart-stopping conclusion to Saturday's proceedings.
 
Ithaca won the ensuing faceoff following Meade's equalizer and set things up in the attacking zone in search of a go-ahead score. The Bombers ended up getting a quality look, as sophomore Dillon Fitzpatrick shook free on the left wing, but his shot drifted just wide into the side netting of the cage and Vassar gained possession with a minute remaining.
 
The Brewers had an opportunity to hold for last shot, but questionably got into their offense a bit too soon. Just like in the waning seconds of overtime against St. Lawrence during the mid-week game, first-year keeper Connor Thornton came up an absolutely clutch save to stone Drew Adams on an excellent look from the right-side of the attacking zone. The rookie showed impeccable awareness, seeing the opportunity for one final chance if IC could capitalize in transition. Thornton quick-upped a pass to sophomore mid Connor Till in the midfield who swung wide and sent another pass up to junior attacker Dan Lee at the midfield stripe. Lee charged into the attacking zone, before sending a pass over to Ozsvath on the left wing. The third-year talent made a great move to duck inside his marking defender to gain just enough space to snap a shot from a tight-angle that ruffled the far-side netting with 8.6-seconds showing on the scoreboard.
 
The game-winner capped an unbelievable day for the IC junior attacker. He paced the team with six points on the afternoon, scoring four goals and adding two assists. The performance was his third straight game setting a new season high for points, bringing his totals to 19 goals and 24 points on the year.
 
Six other IC players registered multi-point outings on the day. Till posted a career performance, stepping up in a big way with Ithaca a bit shorthanded in the midfield on Saturday. He racked up five points, scoring his first career hat trick and adding two assists. Junior mid Kevin Enos posted a three-point afternoon with two goals and one assist, while senior Owen Smith and junior Dan Lee each registered two-goal outings on the day. Sophomore attacker Connor Brumfield chipped in two points on one goal and one assist, while senior long-stick Sean Seaberg got in on the act with a pair of assists in the contest. Fitzpatrick also showed up on the score-sheet with one goal on the day.
 
Defensively, four IC players posted two caused turnover days. Joining Seaberg in that category were junior Aaron McCartney and sophomores Jake Hall-Goldman and Logan Adams. Seasberg paced the group with six ground-balls, while he stepped in again in the fourth quarter, winning 3-of-5 faceoffs. Hall-Goldman finished with four grounders, while Adams and McCartney registered two each. First-year Demetri Lowry also forced one caused turnover in the win.
 
In goal, Thornton improved his record to 6-2 as a starter. He finished the afternoon with nine saves, which included the clutch stop in the game's final sequence.
 
It was a game of runs throughout for IC. Vassar scored the opening goal of the day when Kyle Cherry converted on the Brewers first possession 1:02 into the game. Amazingly, in what was such a competitive back-and-forth game, it would be the only time Ithaca trailed throughout. The Bombers responded with a three-goal run over a 3:11 stretch with Smith, Lee and Ozsvath striking for IC. Till would cap the scoring in the first quarter when he ruffled the net for the first time on the day with 42-seconds left in the quarter.
 
Till's score sparked a four-goal IC run, as the Bombers backed that late first go-ahead tally with three more goals in the opening 4:52 of the second. Lee, Enos and Ozsvath again were the beneficiaries on Ithaca's second big scoring run of the half, which opened things up to a four-goal lead at 7-3.
 
Ithaca was unable to sustain the momentum heading into halftime, as Vassar capitalized three times over the final 6:15 of the second to close back within a goal at the break.
 
The third quarter again got off to a dynamite start for Ithaca, as Brumfield and Till both scored in the first half of the session to help IC regain some separation. Till and Smith added goals 37-seconds apart later in the quarter to reestablish the four-goal edge for the second time on the day. The fourth quarter again saw a pair of quick strike talliers, as Fitzpatrick and Enos converted goals 57-seconds apart to push the lead back out to a four-goal margin at 13-9. However, the late Vassar surge set the stage for Thornton's and Ozsvath's heroics in the final moments.
 
Ithaca will be back in action on Wednesday, April 4, when it continues to four-game road swing at Nazareth College in a non-league battle. Start time is set for 4:00 p.m.