CORTLAND, N.Y.– The Ithaca College women's soccer team was defeated by their in-state rival, the Cortland Red Dragons 1-0 on the road Wednesday night. The Red Dragons handed the Bombers their first loss in the 2023 campaign giving them a 3-1-1 record.
Although Ithaca lost the contest, they outshot the Red Dragons 21-9, despite only having one of those shots on net in comparison to Cortland's four. Cortland was almost always on the attack, however, as their 10 corners more than doubled the four Ithaca corners. The Bombers did dominate possession within the attacking third during the first 35 minutes of the contest.
This tightly contested match was a game of runs as Cortland came out early attacking. They were able to push transition early and their aggressiveness resulted in plenty of chances, especially after they had three corner kicks within three minutes. The bad blood between these fierce rivals started to bubble midway through the first half as three fouls between Ithaca and Cortland were called in a matter of moments. The first half came to an end after senior forward
Rosie Bostian securing Ithaca's only shot on goal with the score knotted at zeroes.
The second half got out to a pretty even start, with both teams matching each other's attack. Simone Neivel had an early shot on goal for Cortland that was stopped by Ithaca Goalkeeper,
Grace Hickey. Ithaca came on the counterattack and
Rosie Bostian was inches away from giving Ithaca the lead after heading the ball off the crossbar in the 64
th minute.
Just minutes later, in the 68th minute, Simone Neivel broke the ice for Cortland with her first of the season giving Cortland the 1-0 lead. Ithaca had opportunities late in the contest but were unable to capitalize despite their heroic efforts.
Julia Cascone and
Rosie Bostian led the Bombers with eight and five shots, respectively while Simone Neivel and Tyla Vuotto combined for seven shots for the Red Dragons.
Grace Hickey had three saves on the night for the Bombers while Kristen Spendal had one for the Red Dragons.
The Bombers will return to Carp Wood Field on Saturday, September 16th to take on the Nazareth Golden Flyers with a 1 p.m. start time.
