ITHACA, N.Y. – It was madness at Higgins Stadium as the Bombers men's lacrosse team completed a come-from-behind effort, scoring the go-ahead goal with 11 seconds remaining to clinch their first Liberty League playoff berth since 2021 against the Clarkson Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon. The Bombers defeated Clarkson, 11-10 and picked up their ninth win of the season, while improving to 3-3 within the Liberty League heading into their final game of the regular season. Ithaca College also honored its 2025 senior class which included
Peter Nowlan,
Jack Pastore,
Graham Brady,
Liam Lennon,
PJ Roth,
Chris Sohl,
Chase Gulick,
Michael Gillam,
Jared Sedlock,
Ryan Maher and
Kyle Proctor prior to the start of the matchup.
Despite the epic outcome, the Bombers struggled early in the contest as Clarkson set the offensive tone. Alex Seiler scored the first two goals of the game, blowing a couple of outside shots past Ithaca's goalie
Andrew Minard, giving Clarkson a 2-0 advantage after the first frame.
Graham Brady and
Cullen Adams each scored to even the score at 2-2 early in the second quarter, but Clarkson wasn't done yet. They scored three of the next four goals and led 5-3 heading into halftime as the rain started to pour down on Higgins Field.
The third quarter was neck and neck, but once again, the Golden Knights had an answer for all of Ithaca's offense. They did a nice job of pushing the transition, catching Ithaca short on numbers, but a late
Kyle Savery goal cut the Golden Knights' lead to three heading into the final stanza (9-6).
With their eyes set on the postseason, Ithaca put the pedal to the metal, chipping away at the lead one goal at a time.
Tim Rogers took over, scoring a natural hat trick with his question mark dodge from behind the cage, bringing Ithaca within one. With under a minute to go, down by one, the Bombers needed a miracle.
Ethan Adrid answered the call, finding some room on the wing and stepping into a huge shot, evening things up at 10 apiece. On the ensuing faceoff,
Corey White pushed transition, found
Kyle Proctor, who then dished it to his little brother Lucas, who stuck it for the game-winner. After losing four one-goal contests, Ithaca found a way to come back in dramatic fashion and ultimately punch their ticket to the postseason.
Kyle Proctor led the Bombers offensively with four assists, and
Andrew Minard made seven saves. Ithaca won 17-of-24 faceoffs, and it was a late faceoff miracle from White that captured the victory.
Ithaca's next game will be on Saturday, April 26 when they head to Saratoga to take on Skidmore in hopes of clinching a home Liberty League playoff game. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.
