Playoff Run Continues For Women's Soccer; Ithaca Headed To Sweet 16 After 1-0 Win At #22 Ohio Northern
Ada, Ohio -- The Ithaca College women's soccer team (13-3-3) beat #22 Ohio Northern (19-3-2) 1-0 Sunday in the final of the four-team regional hosted by the Polar Bears. Junior Rachael Palladino (Lansing/Lansing) scored the game's only goal early in the second half. With the win, the Bombers advance to next weekend's sectionals; the "sweet 16" round of the NCAA playoffs will pit Ithaca against #3 Trinity (Texas), with Cortland facing Concordia-Moorhead. The site, dates and times for next weekend's sectional will be announced by the NCAA by Monday morning.
Palladino's goal came in the 57th minute; the Polar Bears were unable to clear a pass from sophomore Ellyn Grant-Keane (Lansing/Lansing), leading to a breakaway for Palladino who put the ball in the top right corner of the net. The goal was her 14th of the season and the 46th of her career. With 111 career points (including a team-best 35 this fall) in 61 matches, she is the program's second-leading all-time scorer.
Grant-Keane now has four assists on the season. She also assisted on Palladino's game-tying goal in Saturday's overtime win over #14 Illinois Wesleyan. She's scored 16 points this season on six goals and four assists. In her career, Grant-Keane has 27 points (seven goals, 13 assists).
Ohio Northern outshot Ithaca 15-8, including an 11-1 advantage in the first half when the host Polar Bears had a strong wind (gusts were estimated at up to 40 m.p.h. with ) at their backs.
Junior Becca Salant (Holliston/Holliston, Mass.) stopped eight shots to record her fifth solo shutout of the season. As a team, the Bombers have recorded seven clean sheets.
Ithaca will be making the program's 12th trip to this round of the NCAA playoffs. The Bombers won NCAA titles in 1990 and 1991, reached the national championship match in 1989 and advanced to the semifinals in 1988 and 1998. The 1996, 2007, 2008 and 2009 teams all reached the quarterfinals.
The Bombers are playing in the NCAA championship tournament for the 22nd time (no team has made more appearances); Ohio Northern's NCAA berth was the program's second