ITHACA, N.Y. – For the second consecutive season, the Ithaca College field hockey team defeated SUNY New Paltz in overtime, as the Bombers came away with a 2-1 victory at Higgins Stadium on Tuesday. The win improves IC's record to 10-3 and extends its winning streak to seven straight games. New Paltz falls to 8-4 on the year.
It was a high-intensity start to the contest behind two of the top teams in the region as Ithaca opened the first quarter with six shots and four corners, while New Paltz put both of its shots on target and those were saved by
Alex Clough to keep the game scoreless after 15 minutes of play.
The Bombers got on the board early in the second quarter as
Juliana Valli tallied her eighth goal of the season on a loose ball in front of the cage in the 20th minute. New Paltz would tie the game up at 1-1 with just under four minutes left in the period.
New Paltz outshot the Bombers, 4-2, in the second quarter and earned a 3-1 advantage in corners to even up the statistics heading into intermission.
It was a battle to maintain possession in the third quarter and there were not many offensive opportunities on either end of the field.
The Bombers stepped up the offensive attack in the final regulation period by outshooting the Hawks, 5-2, and holding a 3-1 edge in corners, but were unable to put in the game-winning goal over the final 15 minutes. New Paltz fired off two shots that were both saved by Clough.
In the first overtime period, New Paltz put together numerous scoring chances early on, but Clough was up to the task again by making two more saves in a four-minute span.
After that, the Bombers marched down to their offensive zone and drew a corner attempt with less than two minutes left in the first overtime.
Meara Bury started the insert to the top of the circle to
Emma Garver, who sent a pass to
Natalie Descalso for an open shot attempt. Bury moved up from her initial position and re-directed the shot up and over the shoulder of New Paltz's goalkeeper for the winning goal.
The Bombers have two crucial Liberty League games coming up this weekend as they travel to William Smith on Friday and host Rochester on Sunday for Senior Day.
