GENEVA, NY– The Ithaca College women's soccer team put together a valiant effort today against the No. 4 ranked William Smith College Herons but ultimately lost the match 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon. The Bombers suffered their second loss of the season falling to 5-2-1 while William Smith continued their undefeated season with a record of 5-0-3.
 
This game was neck in neck all afternoon, especially in the first half, as neither team was willing to give an inch. It was William Smith that had the first burst of offense within the first five minutes as Emma Faso and Ava Ruppersberger both put shots on net that were stopped by Ithaca keeper Grace Hickey. Ithaca's Ally Stanton later had an opportunity that would be stopped by William Smith's keeper Kirsten Nelson. The first half came to an end with the score knotted at zeroes after a defensive battle.
 
The second half is where the momentum started to turn in favor of the Herons. William Smith was able to control the majority of the time of possession and they forced Ithaca into some difficult defensive situations. Within the first 10 minutes of the second half, William Smith was on the attack as Ruth Hotaling put a shot on net that was stopped by Grace Hickey after a chaotic corner kick.
 
After a couple more William Smith offensive pushes, the Herons finally broke the ice in the 84th minute as Julia Dimenna was able to capitalize, scoring a goal from Katrine Berg. The game ended 1-0 as the late goal stunned the Bombers as they scrambled late to find the equalizer.
 
William Smith had 14 shot attempts with seven on net while Ithaca had six shot attempts with only one being on target. Despite the loss, Grace Hickey had a solid performance in net with five saves.
 
Ithaca will have another tough test on the road as they travel to Canton, N.Y. to take on St. Lawrence University in an ultra-important Liberty League contest on Saturday, September 30.