ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's soccer program rode a hot-streak to conclude the regular season, suffering just one defeat during the month of October to secure the No. 2 seed in the Liberty League Championship Tournament. The Bombers earned the quarterfinal bye and will take on the No. 6 seeded Skidmore in Troy, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 6 after they upset RIT. Ithaca owns an 8-5-5 overall record and were 6-1-2 within the Liberty League while the Thoroughbreds enter the semifinals with a 9-5-3 overall record and 3-3-3 regular season mark within the conference. Game time on Saturday is slated for 1:30 p.m.

RPI the No. 1 seed who earned the right to host the championship weekend for men's soccer will also face off on Saturday against St. Lawrence in the other Liberty League semifinal game at 11 a.m. The winners of the semifinals game will play in the Liberty League championship at ECAV Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m.

As per Rensselaer's plan to return to campus-based operations of August 13, 2021, only RPI faculty, staff and students who are fully compliant with the Institute's COVID-19 protocols are allowed to attend games. External spectators are not permitted on Rensselaer's campus at this time. Pre- and post-game gatherings/tailgating in any campus location is prohibited and access to ECAV or other campus restroom facilities to visitors is not allowed.

Fans can follow along with the weekend action via the webcast and live stats.

LIBERTY LEAGUE HISTORY:
Ithaca College and Skidmore have not won a Liberty League Championship in men's soccer and will look to be crowned conference champions for the first-time ever within the Liberty League.

St. Lawrence has dominated the championship scene collecting 16 titles including a national championship in 1999. The Saints have won conference championships: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018.

Hobart College has won three league championships: 2009, 2017 and 2019

Vassar College has collected two conference titles: 2011 and 2016

RPI has won one title: 2012
 

HISTORY BETWEEN ITHACA AND SKIDMORE:
Ithaca and Skidmore College have played each other 10 times since their first matchup in 1991 and the Bombers have never lost to Skidmore. Ithaca leads the all-time series 6-0-4 and their two most recent matches have ended in 1-1 ties.

They met earlier this year at Skidmore on Friday, Oct. 15 and it took a second half equalizer for the Bombers to come away with the tie. The equalizer for Ithaca College finally came in the 61st minute as the Bombers earned a free kick attempt after an opponent foul in the attacking third of the field. Ali Kapasi fired in the long crossing ball and it was headed to the right foot of Jonathan Kyriakidis who fired the ball into the back of the net.

The Thoroughbreds had a glorious chance to win the game in overtime but senior goalkeeper Lee Folger palmed away a penalty kick chance to ensure the stalemate.

SCOUTING ITHACA:
Ithaca College senior defender Alex Leahy, the Defensive Performer of the Week in men's soccer, anchored a Bomber defense that recorded a pair of Liberty League shutouts on the road in the final week of the regular season. Ithaca played to a 0-0 double-overtime tie at RIT before recording a 1-0 win at Vassar. With the two shutouts, the Bombers secured the second seed and arguably the goal of the season was scored by Connor Tierney that earned him Rookie Performer of the Week going into the postseason. The first year took a pass from just outside the 18-yard box and with his left foot he curled the shot into the upper left corner of the net against Vassar that earned his second Rookie of the Week honors.

The leading goal scorer for the Bombers this season has been Jonathan Kyriakidis who has netted five goals and assisted one, which is good for a team-best 11 points. Another dangerous scorer for IC has been Aidan Keenan who has netted three goals and has dished out one assist.

Senior Lee Folger has been a revelation for the Bombers since stepping into the starting role in their September matchup with SUNY Cortland. Folger has recorded six shutouts and owns a Liberty League best 0.37 goals against average.

SCOUTING SKIDMORE:
The Thoroughbreds are also a team similar to Ithaca that relies on strong defensive play. They've tallied eight shutouts in 2021 with Bobby Stratts accounting for all of them between the pipes. He stood tall in goal in the 1-0 win over RIT withstanding seven Tigers shots (four on goal), four yellow cards, and three corner kicks. Stratts stopped all five shots on goal that he saw in the contest, and cleanly handled several corner kicks and crosses that flew into danger. 

Their player to watch on Saturday will be Finn Weber as the junior forward has netted seven goals with three assists, totaling 17 points. He is tied for second in the Liberty League tallying 58 shots this season and has managed to place 26 of them on target.

THE NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP:
The 2021 DIII men's soccer selection show is Monday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The selections will mark the DIII men's soccer championship's return after getting canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNC Greensboro will host the semifinal and national championship rounds at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dec. 3-4. The semifinal and national championship rounds will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

Here is what you need to know.

When: The 2021 DIII women's soccer championship selection show is Monday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
Where: The selection show will be live streamed on NCAA.com.

Below is the schedule for the 2021 DIII men's soccer championships:

First round

• Friday, Nov. 12 | Multiple Sites
• Saturday, Nov. 13 | Multiple Sites
• Sunday, Nov. 14| Multiple Sites

Second round

• Saturday, Nov. 13| Multiple Sites
• Sunday, Nov. 14| Multiple Sites

Sectionals

• Friday, Nov. 19 | Multiple Sites
• Saturday, Nov. 20 | Multiple Sites
• Sunday, Nov. 21 | Multiple Sites

Semifinals

• Friday, Dec. 3| Semifinal I: 5 p.m. ET | UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, NC
• Friday, Dec. 3 | Semifinal II: 7:45 p.m. ET | UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, NC

National Championship

• Saturday, Dec. 4| National Championship: 7 p.m. ET | UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, NC