ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey program will begin its Liberty League title defense this Friday, November 7 as the Bombers travel to Union College for a semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. Ithaca (12-6) is the No. 3 seed, while Union (12-7) is the No. 2 seed.

GAME COVERAGE

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LIBERTY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP: The Liberty League Field Hockey Championship is a five-team tournament. William Smith defeated Rochester, 1-0, in overtime on Tuesday to set up the semifinal round on Friday.

Ithaca lost to Union (2-1) and Vassar (1-0) this season and defeated William Smith (1-0 in OT). Union lost to Vassar and beat William Smith, while the Brewers lost to the Herons this year.

Vassar has not served as the No. 1 seed since 2018 and won the tournament that season. The Brewers also won the title in 2021.

Union has never won a Liberty League crown and has never reached a championship contest. William Smith has won eight titles, including back-to-back in 2022-23, while the Bombers won last season and have been in the title contest two other times (2021 and 2023) since joining the Liberty League in 2017.

A LOOK AT…ITHACA: The Bombers are the toughest defensive team in the Liberty League with just 13 goals allowed in 18 contests. IC's 0.72 goals against average ranks sixth in Division III, while the 0.849 save percentage in ninth nationally. The Bombers' nine shutouts are 11th in Division III.

The Bombers boast a balanced offensive attack with 14 goal scorers this season, including 10 players with two or more goals. Audrey McMahon leads the team with six goals, while Brenna Schoenfeld has five goals on the year.

There are also 13 players with at least one assist on the season, led by eight from Payton Yahner.

Maeve Clark is 10-6 this season with a 0.822 save percentage and 0.86 goals against average in 904 minutes played.

A LOOK AT…UNION: The Garnet Chargers finished the regular season with a 12-7 record and 5-2 conference mark, matching its highest Liberty League finish in program history and matching the third-most wins in a season overall. 

For the fourth straight season, Union is leading the Liberty League in scoring and ranks 17th nationally by averaging 3.55 goals per game in 2025, having scored 67 goals in 19 games. The team's 67 goals have smashed the previous program record of 59 set in 2007, helped by a program-record 14 different players recording at least one goal this season. Union boasts four of the top-11 goal scorers in the Liberty League in 2025.

Maddie Greco is the leading scorer with 35 points on 15 goals and five assists.

THE SERIES BETWEEN IC AND UNION: IC and Union have played 10 times since 1991 with the Bombers winning eight of those matchups. The Bombers just had their six-game winning streak snapped on September 27, and Union's only other win in the series came back in 2017.

POTENTIAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUP: The winner of this semifinal game will move on to play the winner of the No. 1 Vassar vs. No. 4 William Smith contest. Whoever is the highest remaining seed will host the final on Sunday.

2025 LIBERTY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
 
First Round – Tuesday, November 4
#4 William Smith 1, #5 Rochester 0 (OT)
 
Semifinal Round – Friday, November 7
#4 William Smith at #1 Vassar, 4 pm
#3 Ithaca at #2 Union, 4 pm
 
Championship Game – Sunday, November 9
Semifinal Winners at highest remaining seed