ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey program will officially begin its 2022 campaign on September 1 as the Bombers travel to SUNY Geneseo for both teams' season opener. Ithaca is coming off a 14-5 season in 2021 and returns 21 players from that squad, which reached the Liberty League Championship contest.

Among those 21 returners are three graduate students and six seniors, one of which is a fifth-year student-athlete. The Bombers also welcome back five juniors and seven sophomores.

Head coach Kaitlyn Wahila, now in her sixth season at Ithaca, spoke about those fifth-year players and the experience returning to the squad for this fall.

"We are excited to have four student-athletes returning to our team for their fifth year. Their experience on the field will provide solid consistency in our defensive and attacking principles. We are grateful to Jacqueline Mirabile, Macy Brandwein, Morgan Mullen and Allison Egan for continuing their education at IC and putting in the time and effort to help our program continue its path to success."

Those four players combined to start 58 games last season. Mirabile was named a third-team All-American by the NFHCA, while Mullen led IC in points with 21. Brandwein went 11-5 in goal and recorded a .781 save percentage, while Egan was part of a stingy defensive unit.

Outside of those four, IC boasts an additional 13 players who appeared in 12 or more games from last season – Natalie Descalso, Amberly Christiansen, Elizabeth Pillow, Emma Garver, Brianna Lennon, Avery Moses, Meara Bury, Arla Davis, Sarah DeVito, Nicole Fortunato, Madeline Goodman, Bella McCollister and Juliann Vadney.

"Every new season brings with it a unique perspective and experiences from the past season. This year we are looking forward to seeing how Team 55 is going to compete, lead and focus on our 2022 season. Our returning players have developed both on and off the field over the past year and they are ready to bring a focused work ethic to all we do," stated Wahila.

The Bombers returned to South Hill in the middle of August to begin preseason training and the team has gotten off to a great start according to Wahila.

"We have been training for just over a week and this team is progressing with each session. We have been working to instill our style of play on both sides of the ball and create a positive team culture. We have welcomed six incoming first-year student athletes who have been a wonderful addition to our squad. They have stepped in and have not missed a beat!"

Those six first-years – Anne Leach, Eliza Ballaro, Reese Abrahamson, Amalia Hickey, Brenna Schoenfeld and Shannon Dougherty – join the remaining roster of Catherine Papa, Juliana Valli, Kiley Sullivan and Alex Clough to complete Team 55.

This program will navigate a 17-game schedule for 2022. After the opener at Geneseo, the Bombers will play three straight home contests against St. John Fisher (September 4), Misericordia (September 7) and Hartwick (September 10).

IC then hits the road for matchups at Cortland on the 14th and Brockport on the 20th.

Liberty League play opens with a home showdown against Union on September 24, followed by another contest at Higgins Stadium against Vassar on October 1.

The remaining Liberty League slate is as follows – at RPI on October 8, at St. Lawrence on October 14, home against Skidmore on October 16, at Rochester on October 21 and home against William Smith on October 23.

Ithaca also has non-conference matchups against Scranton on September 28, at Utica on October 5, at New Paltz on October 11 and home against Nazareth on October 26 to complete the regular season.

All Ithaca College home games will provide live statistics and webcasts to viewers. Links are available on the field hockey schedule. Game programs will also be posted to the schedule ahead of each home contest.

Wahila and associate head coach Mo Ordnung, who were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year in 2021, shared their excitement ahead of the 2022 campaign. Graduate assistant Victoria Tredinnick also joins the staff for this season.

"I am looking forward to Team 55 taking each opponent one opportunity at a time. We get to compete, and we never take that for granted. Watching this group of young women grow together on and off the field, all while competing against some of the best programs in Division III field hockey will be fun!" expressed Wahila.
 
"I am most looking forward to seeing how we can elevate our gameplay. With a large amount of experience returning, we are able to ask more of our team in the way of tactics. I am excited to add more elements to our play and to show our opponents new looks that they haven't seen before, and some they have, but with a new twist," stated Ordnung.

Should the Bombers finish within the top five of the Liberty League standing at the conclusion of the regular season, they will qualify for the Liberty League Tournament. This year, the top three teams receive a bye, while the fourth and fifth seeded teams will play a first round contest on November 1. The semifinal round is scheduled for November 4 and the championship will be held on November 6.