Bombers advance to Sweet Sixteen

ITHACA, N.Y. – The #6 Ithaca College women's soccer team (19-1-2) scored two goals in come-from-behind fashion to defeat #24 Bowdoin (11-4-4), 2-1, in an NCAA regional final game on Sunday afternoon at Carp Wood Field. Ithaca advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in six years. The Bombers will face #10/17 Misericordia at a location to be announced Monday.

Winning their school-record tying 19th game, the Bombers improved to 2-0 all-time against the Polar Bears. Ithaca played Bowdoin in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament and posted a 2-0 shutout.

The Polar Bears netted the game's first goal in the 27th minute of action to lead 1-0 at intermission. Ithaca twice answered in the second half to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen and improve to 11-0-1 on its home turf this season.

Ithaca outshot Bowdoin, 14-8, and held a 9-2 gap in corner kicks.

The game opened in back-and-forth fashion before Ithaca rattled off four consecutive shots. Bowdoin goalkeeper Bridget McCarthy made two of her seven saves on the day to maintain a scoreless deadlock through 20 minutes of play.

Polar Bear sophomore Abby Einwag came off the bench to tally the game's first goal in the 25th minute. Following a Bowdoin throw in along the right sideline, freshman Jamie Hofstetter found Einwag camped out on the left post. Einwag headed in a low ball for the 1-0 advantage.

With five minutes lingering in the first frame, Ithaca senior Rachael Palladino (Lansing/Lansing)looked to even action on a Julie Winn (Sutton, Mass./Sutton) corner-kick feed. Palladino's header soared high as the Polar Bears maintained their 1-0 gap into the half.

Fifteen scoreless minutes opened the second stint. The Bombers earned a trio of corner kicks before a free kick led to the game-tying goal. Junior Anna Gray (Bethlehem/Delmar) sent a free kick into the box that got batted out by the Bowdoin defense. Bomber junior Alex Liese(Massapequa/Massapequa) collected the loose ball and served it into the left side of the box where classmate Ellyn Grant-Keane (Lansing/Lansing) headed it in for a 1-1 tie.

Bowdoin surged to take a flurry of shots, but it was an Ithaca shot that followed to seal the victory for the Bombers. Grant-Keane beat a defender along the right end line before finding the feet of juniorAmanda Callanan (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa) at the top of the box. Callanan dribbled in and laced a shot at McCarthy causing her to fumble the ball. It fell between her legs and crossed the plane for the score.

The Polar Bears recorded the final two shots of the game, but could not convert. Junior Molly Popolizio fired a shot from 25 yards out to the right side of goal at 86:48, but Ithaca goalkeeperBecca Salant (Holliston, Mass./Holliston) made the save to preserve the Bomber victory.  Salantfinished the game with three saves.