Bombers Outpace Brewers in Season Finale

POUGHKEEPSIE – Ithaca’s Connor Tierney scored at the 53rd minute to give the Bombers a 1-0 victory over Vassar on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Ithaca (8-5-5, 6-1-2 Liberty) secures the second seed in the Liberty League Tournament, while Vassar (11-3-2, 5-2-2) takes the fourth seed and will host St. Lawrence in the first round on Tues. Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m.

Ithaca used its speed and deep passes to control possession and keep the ball away from Vassar for most of the game. The Bombers went on to outshoot Vassar 11-6 in the first half, but strong goalkeeping from junior Eric Wnorowski kept it scoreless with five saves. The Bombers nearly got on the board first after Aidan Keenan fired a shot on frame.

Wnorowski deflected it, but the ball slid in front of the net. Andrew Goldsmith then kicked the ball away before an Ithaca forward could tap the shot.

Vassar struggled to find many open shots, with all three blocked by Ithaca defenders in the first half. Ithaca scored early in the second half when Keenan crossed the ball. Tierney gathered the shot and arched it perfectly into the upper left corner of the Vassar goal to take the lead. Shots were tied 6-6 in the second half, but the Brewers only managed one shot on goal.

Wnorowski finished with six saves, while Ithaca’s Lee Folger made one.