ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's lacrosse team faced a tough opponent in Hamilton College under the lights of Higgins Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Bombers saw their five-game win streak snapped as they tried to mount a fourth-quarter comeback but fell short, 10-7. The non-conference loss drops Ithaca to 7-3 overall, while the Continentals improved to 3-4 on the season.
Hamilton won the first faceoff, but the Bombers held strong with solid defensive efforts. Ithaca got on the scoreboard with a quick stick shot by
Kyle Savery, his 13th goal of the season, assisted by
Kyle Proctor, responding to Hamilton's back-to-back goals.
Tim Rogers crease rolled and found the back of the net to tie the game 2-2 with 8:01 left in the first quarter. A huge defensive stop by the Bombers caused a shot clock violation for the Continentals, ultimately turning the ball over to Ithaca, who made a successful clear into their offensive half. At the end of the first quarter, the Bombers and Continentals were tied 2-2 with strong efforts from both squads.
Graham Brady halted a 3-0 run from Hamilton with a low-angle rip wrapping around the right side of the net, making it 5-3. The Bombers' defense stayed physical and aggressive, holding Hamilton to low-angle shots and multiple shot clock violations as the second quarter progressed. The scoring stayed tight in the second quarter, with the Continentals carrying a 5-3 lead into halftime.
Hamilton started the third quarter strong with three unanswered goals. After some long offensive possessions, the Bombers were unable to find the back of the net. With 1:11 left in the third quarter, a turnover in the midfield allowed the Bombers to regain possession and capitalize on a goal scored by
Tim Rogers, assisted by
Kyle Proctor.
The Bombers' defense began the fourth quarter man down due to a flag at the end of the third. At 11:50,
Andrew Minard made a save to push the fast break in hopes of sparking offensive movement in their attacking half, but the Ithaca attack was stymied. Minard came up with another clutch save, giving the offense an opportunity that
Kyle Savery took advantage of, scoring off a pass from
Cullen Adams, making it 9-5 in favor of Hamilton. Shortly after,
Jack Pastore rolled one past the goalie on a man-up opportunity, cutting the goal deficit to three with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. With 1:04 left in the game, Pastore responded again with a man-up goal assisted by
Kyle Proctor, his third assist of the game. As the clock ran out, the Bombers fell short 10-7.
Kyle Savery,
Tim Rogers, and
Jack Pastore each scored two goals, and
Andrew Minard ended the night with eight saves.
Hamilton had the 12-8 edge in faceoffs as the teams combined for a perfect 38-of-38 in successful clears.
Next up, Ithaca College returns to Liberty League play and will take on No. 4 ranked RPI on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Troy, N.Y.
