Bombers Advance to E8 Championship with 15-11 Victory over Nazareth
ITHACA, N.Y. – The second-seeded Ithaca College men’s lacrosse team (12-5) claimed its first Empire 8 Championship Tournament victory over third-seeded Nazareth (8-9) on Wednesday afternoon with a 15-11 semifinal win at Higgins Stadium. The Bombers advance to the Empire 8 title game at top-seeded and ninth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology to be played Saturday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
The Bombers will vie for their third Empire 8 crown, while the Ducks seek their first.
Ithaca powered to a 7-1 lead in the first and went on to lead 9-3 at intermission. The Golden Flyers outscored the Bombers, 6-4, in the third to cut within 13-9 entering the final frame. Nazareth tallied the first two of the fourth stanza to make it a two-goal contest at 12:34, but Ithaca netted the game’s final pair of scores to secure its trip to the championship game.
The Bombers last battled for a conference crown in 2010, falling short, 9-6, to RIT.
Freshman James Manilla posted a game- and career-best six-point performance with two goals and a career-best four assists, while seniors Jay Lucas and Brian DiBetta chipped in four points apiece.
Lucas recorded a career-high four goals and
DiBetta added two goals and two assists. Sophomore Pat Slawta scored a hat trick.
Freshman Matt Greenblatt won a contest-best six ground balls and 10 faceoffs, while
DiBetta added four and four, respectively.
Senior Tom Mongelli who scored once, had five ground balls and classmate Chris Duncan four. Juniors Adam Wacenske and Marc Roberts each forced two turnovers.
Senior Brendan Green improved to 12-3 in cage having made eight stops.
The Bombers outshot Nazareth 44-33 and held a 41-34 advantage in ground balls, while the Golden Flyers claimed a 15-14 edge in faceoffs.
Box Score