Bombers Advance To Sweet Sixteen With 1-0 Shutout Of Rowan
ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 7 Ithaca College women's soccer team (18-2-0) defeated No. 22 Rowan (17-4-0) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, dropping the Profs by a score of 1-0 at Carp Wood Field. The win advances the Bombers to the sectional semifinal round of the tournament, where the Bombers will face No. 9 Messiah (20-2-1) at a location to be announced on Monday.
Senior
Anna Gray (Bethlehem, N.Y./Delmar) scored the lone goal for the Bombers, while sophomore goalkeeper
Beth Coppolecchia (Katonah, N.Y./Somers) stopped all six shots she faced to earn her second-straight shutout.
Gray scored the game's only goal in the 28th minute, sending a direct free kick through a sea of players in front of the Rowan net. Gray's shot found its way past the Profs' goalkeeper, marking her fourth tally of the season to give Ithaca the 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 for the remainder of the opening frame, with Rowan holding a slight 4-3 edge in shots.
The Profs pressured the Bombers in the second half, outshooting Ithaca by a 7-4 margin. However, the Bomber defense stood strong, as Coppolecchia turned away four shots in the frame, including two in the final 10 minutes of play.
Rowan was unable to convert on any of its chances in the closing minutes, securing the 1-0 victory for Ithaca. The Bombers' win sends them to the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in seven years.
The Bombers are 1-3 all-time against Messiah, losing to the Falcons in their last meeting by a score of 4-1 on Sept. 5, 2009.
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