ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 8 Ithaca College women's lacrosse team downed No. 23 Shenandoah University, 18-6, at Higgins Stadium on May 12 in an NCAA Division III Second Round matchup. With the win, Ithaca is now 18-1 on the season, which sets a new school record for wins and the Bombers will take a 15-game winning streak into the regional round next weekend.
IC surpasses the win total set by the 2022 team, which went 17-4 and reached the third round of the NCAA Division III Championship that season. The Bombers have also won at least one NCAA game in each of their last six trips to the postseason.
Shenandoah scored the first goal of the game at 13:23 mark, but the Bombers knotted it up at 1-1 on an advantage goal by
Lily Cody goal less than three minutes later. IC would then take its first lead of the game with exactly 6:00 on the clock as
Sydney Phillips scored off a pass from
Maizy Veitch.
The Hornets tied the game back up at 2-2 with 4:50 to go in the first quarter, but it was all Bombers from there. Ithaca scores back-to-back goals from
Elizabeth Green and Veitch in a 15-seconds span (4:25 and 4:10) to go ahead 4-2.
Veitch found the back of the net again off a feed from
Caroline Wise with 3:17 to go in the quarter and then Veitch set Ithaca's all-time points record with 1:42 left in the quarter on a shorthanded goal, which was assisted by
Chloe Nordyke to make it 6-2.
Veitch notched her 273rd career point on that goal to pass Allie Panara (2013-16) as the all-time leader in program history. Veitch would go on to score six goals in this game, to go along with one assist, to give her 276 career points on 191 goals and 85 assists.
The Bombers continued to pull away in the second quarter and took a 10-3 lead into halftime. Phillips scored first to make it 7-2 on another advantage goal as Wise assisted with 12:48 remaining. Cody then scored on a free position less than a minute late for an 8-2 lead. After 10 minutes of scoreless action, Veitch scored again for a 9-2 difference with 2:33 left.
Shenandoah scored its scoreless drought at the 1:20 mark of the second quarter, but IC had the final say in the half as Nordyke found the back of the net with 17.9 seconds to go.
IC reached the 10-goal mark midway through the quarter, 14-4, and it was a running clock for the rest of the game. Cody tallied the opening goal of the quarter with 13:33 left and then
Leigh Naturale scored on a free position a minute later.
The Hornets utilized an advantage and free position to get back on the board with 12:06 left to make it 12-4, but IC closed out the quarter with four straight goals from Veitch, Nordyke and two from Wise to take a 16-4 lead into the final 15 minutes.
Shenandoah put up a fight early in the fourth with back-to-back goals in the opening three minutes for a 16-6 difference, but Veitch and Wise scored the final two goals of the contest to account for the 18-6 result.
Wise also won nine draws on the day with two caused turnovers, to go along with her seven points on three goals and four assists. Cody notched a hat trick, four draws and two ground balls, while
Lexi Held made seven saves with two ground balls.
The Bombers outshot Shenandoah, 32-20, on the day and were perfect on clear attempts, 17-for-17.
Ithaca will play the winner of Pomona-Pitzer and George Fox next Saturday, May 18.
