SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's lacrosse team returned to Liberty League play on Saturday afternoon when it continued a four-game road swing with a huge matchup against 20^th-ranked Union College. Unfortunately, the Bombers were unable to extend their three-game winning streak entering the day, as the Dutchmen stormed back to down IC in a 14-10 final. The loss drops Ithaca's record to 7-3 on the year and 3-2 in Liberty League play.
 
Saturday's contest had all the makings of another matchup with major implications on the Liberty League regular-season title chase. Union entered the day with an unblemished 2-0 record in league play, representing another big opportunity to not only snatch a marquee win in-region, but also a necessary one to stay within contention at the top of the standings. With both squads in a log-jam with RIT, St. Lawrence and RPI near the top of the league standings, it was the Dutchmen that were able to prevail. The loss dropped Ithaca into fifth-place in the league standings and on the outside of not just the opportunity for earning a first-round bye in the Liberty League Tournament, but also the possibility of hosting a Quarterfinal Round matchup. However, there is still much to be decided with three league games still remaining.
 
The afternoon began very promisingly for Ithaca. The Bombers looked sharp on both sides of the ball during the opening half of play, building up a solid lead entering the break. The second quarter was especially good for the Bombers, as they pulled ahead at one point 8-3 in the game on the strength of back-to-back man-up goals by seniors Owen Smith and Josh Della Puca with a little of three minutes remaining in the half. Unfortunately, the momentum stalled when Union's Josh Willis scored a man-down just 12-seconds after Della Puca's score to snatch a bit scrap of momentum for the home side entering the half. Ithaca never recovered, as the Dutchmen rattled off nine straight goals spanning the third quarter and the opening five minutes of the fourth. Union outscored Ithaca 10-to-2 over the final 30-minutes to deal IC a crushing defeat.
 
Faceoffs were a trouble spot all day for Ithaca. Union won 23-of-28 draws on the afternoon to hold a significant possession advantage. While Ithaca's defense was able to hold up during the first half, Union began to find cracks during the second and were able to capitalize with those extra chances.
 
Offensively, Ithaca received multi-point performance from five players. Sophomore Connor Till and senior Josh Della Puca led the way with three points apiece. Each player posted two goals and one assist on the afternoon. Sophomore Connor Brumfield and junior Dan Lee each posted two-goal performances on the day, while senior Owen Smith added a two-point outing as well with one goal and one helper. Junior attacker Ryan Ozsvath chipped in one goal, while senior Brendan King added one assist to round out the points for IC.
 
King was integral to Ithaca's defensive efforts as well. The senior showcased why he was recently named a selection to the Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-American Team with an excellent performance. He finished the day with a team-best three caused turnovers and three ground-balls. Junior defenseman Aaron McCartney added two caused turnovers and five ground-balls, while sophomore Jake Hall-Goldman, first-year Demetri Lowry and senior Sean Seaberg all posted one caused turnover on the day.
 
In goal, first-year Connor Thornton turned in one of his highest save outputs of the season. He finished the day with 12 saves, but had his record fall to 7-3 as the goalie of record this season.
 
Ithaca returns to action on Wednesday, April 10, when it travels to Rochester, N.Y., to face Liberty League leading RIT at 7:00 p.m.