ITHACA, N.Y. – The Union College men's soccer team ended up on the wrong side of a key Liberty League matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling to Ithaca College by a 1-0 margin at Ithaca's Carp Wood Field.
The loss is a tough one for Union (8-7-1, 2-4-0 Liberty League) in the race for the postseason, as the Garnet Chargers fall into seventh place in the conference standings with three matches left, while Ithaca (8-1-7, 1-0-5 Liberty League) moves past Union into a tie for fifth.
Union started the match strong on Saturday, creating several offensive opportunities and taking three shots over the first 14 minutes. Sophomore
Kofi Sarfoh had a pair of on-target attempts that were stopped by Brayden Milbrandt. Both teams settled in after the early Union push, with the Bombers ending the half with the final four shots as the score remained tied at the half.
Ithaca had the better of play in the second half, taking 12 shots to Union's three. The Bombers' first shot of the second half found the net thanks to Colin Adams, giving the home team the pivotal first goal. The Garnet Chargers had two on-target shots in the second half, but Milbrandt stopped shots from sophomore
Luca Mazzilli in the 69th minute and first-year
Josiah Blake in the 82nd minute.
Junior
Dmitri Wild-Arons made three saves in the second half for Union while Milbrandt made four stops for Ithaca, as both teams ended the afternoon with four shots on goal.
Union will return to action on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. match against Bard College at College Park Field.
