CORTLAND, N.Y. – Riding a five-game winning streak and having conceded just one goal all season, the No. 21 Ithaca College men's soccer team faced its toughest test yet in a showdown with crosstown rivals No. 9 SUNY Cortland, a team the Bombers hadn't beaten since 2009. In a defensive battle between two nationally ranked programs, neither side could break through, resulting in a 0–0 draw on T. Fred Holloway Field.
On paper, the matchup shaped up as a clash of strengths. Ithaca's stingy defense, which had allowed just one goal and 10 shots on target all season, against a high-powered Cortland offense that had already netted 15 goals in six games.
Ithaca nearly opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing off a cross into the box, but the goal was waved off for offsides. The Bombers continued to press, with
Jack Carney firing a low shot in the 14th minute that was saved by Cortland's Jordan Ott. The rebound fell to
Emmett Enriquez, whose follow-up attempt was also denied.
Carney tested the keeper again just four minutes later with a shot to the center of the net, but Ott handled it cleanly. In the 19th minute,
Myles Ryan nearly broke the deadlock with a header toward the top-right corner, but Ott made a diving save to push it out for a corner.
Cortland's best first half chance came in the 31st minute when Dylan Pederson's header was comfortably saved by Ithaca goalkeeper
Bryson Shaull.
At halftime, the score remained 0–0. Ithaca recorded six shots (three on target), while Cortland tallied eight shots (four on goal).
The second half mirrored the first, with both teams creating chances but unable to convert. Cortland nearly broke through 17 minutes in when a through ball nearly found Owen Brant, but Shaull was quick off his line to collect it.
Ithaca's best opportunity came in the 84th minute when Carney beat his defender on the right wing and ripped a shot that curved just wide of the far post. Moments later, Cortland responded with a dangerous sequence of its own. Josh Carroll played a through ball to Brant, who crossed it back to Carroll for a header that narrowly missed left. Neither side could find the winner, and the match ended in a scoreless draw.
With the result, Ithaca remain unbeaten and move to 5–0–1 on the season. The Bombers return to action at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, hosting Moravian University at Carp Wood Field.
