Records Slashed as Bombers Upend UMass Boston, 5-1, in NCAA First Round

Records Slashed as Bombers Upend UMass Boston, 5-1, in NCAA First Round

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ITHACA, N.Y. – The #6 Ithaca College women’s soccer team (18-1-2) defeated #25 UMass Boston (18-3-0), 5-1, in a regional semifinal game at Carp Wood Field on Saturday afternoon. The Bombers advance to play #24 Bowdoin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the regional final. The Polar Bears advance to the second round after tying Scranton 0-0 and posting a 5-3 edge in penalty kicks.

In their 23rd NCAA appearance, the Bombers recorded their largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament contest since a 6-0 win over Westfield State in the first round of the 2008 tournament. The Beacons snapped a four-game winning streak as they made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

Senior Rachael Palladino rewrote a pair of Ithaca career school records and recorded a school-record tying eight points on a hat trick and a pair of assists. She has 63 career goals and 149 career points to crack Chelsey Feldman’s ’09 records in both categories. Senior Julie Winn dished out two assists in the contest for a Bomber-best 12 assists in 2012 to set a single-season program record.

The Bombers outshot UMass Boston, 30-9, and held a 13-3 edge in corner kicks as they recorded three consecutive goals before the Beacons got on the board. Ithaca put away two final scores to seal the 5-1 victory.

Ithaca junior Jackie Rodabaugh connected with the crossbar in the third minute and Palladino headed a Winn corner-kick feed on goal in the seventh minute to open the match in dominating fashion.

The Bombers snapped the scoring drought with an Ellyn Grant-Keane goal in the 19th minute on an assist from Palladino. Palladino chipped a through ball to the feet of Grant-Keane for the 1-0 lead. A Palladino header two minutes later secured a two-goal cushion on a corner kick ball from Winn.

UMass Boston goalkeeper Kristen Spain, who tallied eight saves during the contest, made a diving stop in the 31st minute to keep the Bombers at bay. The Beacons surged to record a pair of chances late in the first, but Ithaca keeper Becca Salant dove right to save a shot laced on goal by junior Tayla Andrews. Beacon sophomore Brittany Castillo closed out the half with a shot on goal, but Salant collected the second of her three saves to preserve the 2-0 Bomber lead at half.

In the second frame, Grant-Keane sent a cross ball to Palladino who got a tap from the left post for a 3-1 Bomber advantage at 57:14. The Beacons answered in the 65th minute as junior Julie Nutting found the back of the net for the second time this season. Sophomore Krista Ledin, who ranks second in the nation for total goals and total points, crossed the ball from the right side of the box to Nutting who nudged the ball into an open left side of net.

Less than three minutes ticked off the clock before Ithaca junior Jamie Ruddy extended the Bomber lead to three, 4-1. Ruddy fired in a cross from Palladino at 66:58. The Winn/Palladino tandem sealed the game in the 83rd minute. Much like her first goal of the game, Palldino headed in a Winn corner-kick serve to finalize all scoring, 5-1.

The 5-1 loss proved to be the Beacons’ largest deficit of 2012 as UMass Boston allowed five goals for the second time this season.