ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team clinched home field advantage for the upcoming Liberty League Tournament after downing St. Lawrence in a narrow 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Friday evening, October 22 at Higgins Stadium. The 13-3 Bombers boost their flawless conference record to 6-0, while the Saints drop to 9-6 on the season with the road loss. IC will host a Liberty League semifinal game on November 3 with an opponent and time still to be determined. All pairings for the championship will be announced after this Sunday's contests.
 
Even though it was a quiet first half, Ithaca showcased its dynamic offense from start to finish. The Bombers fired off 15 total shots and outnumbered St. Lawrence 12-to-7 in shots-on-goal. IC is now 14-0 all-time against the Saints, dating back to the two schools' first meeting in 1974.
 
Senior Grace Ziehnert was the star of the show in the matchup. The midfielder anchored the offense and tallied the only two Bomber goals of the contest, which made her stand out from the rest of the pack on Friday. She now has five scores on the season.
 
Junior Brianna Lennon was a disruption to the Saints defense as well, exemplified by her four shots-on-goal on the day.
 
Defensively, there was little to complain about senior goalkeeper Macy Brandwein's performance in the cage. The Hillsborough, N.J. product accumulated six saves on a total of 10 shots faced and only surrendered one goal.
 
It was a defensive clash in the opening quarter with neither squad controlling momentum in the early stages. The Bombers were absent in the shot-on-goal department despite threatening numerous times in St. Lawrence territory.
 
The Saints struck first offensively in the 26th minute. Maggie Green received a slick pass and rocketed a solo shot from the center of the scoring arc to give St. Lawrence a 1-0 advantage just moments before halftime.
 
The Bombers began to set the tempo in the third quarter by outshooting St. Lawrence 6-to-1 in the stanza. Ziehnert broke the ice for Ithaca in the 39th minute when she ripped a shot off of a rebound and netted her first goal of the evening. The scoring chance was setup by a penalty corner as the insert came from Jacqueline Mirabile and the ball was cycled over to Lennon, whose shot was saved and Ziehnert was there to clean up the rebound.
 
The Ithaca offense hung onto that momentum in the final quarter of action. With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, it was Ziehnert yet again who delivered on the offensive end. After Lennon fired a shot that ricocheted off of the Saints goalkeeper, Ziehnert whipped home a laser to put the Bombers ahead, 2-1, for the game-winner.
 
The gritty defensive work from the Ithaca backend prevailed too, as the unit held St. Lawrence to just two shots on four penalty corner tries in the fourth.
 
Ithaca will now look to cap off its regular season on a positive note when the team travels to Skidmore College on Sunday, October 24. First whistle is slated to take place at 3 p.m.