ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's lacrosse team posted a dominant performance in the first round of the 2026 Liberty League Tournament at Higgins Stadium on Tuesday, defeating Clarkson, 18-5, and avenging a regular-season 16-18 loss from March 21 to the Golden Knights. With the win in the first round, Ithaca heads to the conference semifinals on Friday with a 12-5 record, and Clarkson fell to 10-9.
The Bombers found the back of the net early on, thanks to an unassisted shot from junior Kelly Augeri four minutes into the game. They quickly went up 2-0, with first-year Aubrey Holowinski slotting a shot off a feed from senior Lily Cody. Goals from sophomore Kathryn Scallon and junior Sydney Smith propelled the Bombers' offense to go ahead by four before Clarkson scored on a player-up opportunity with just 14 seconds left in the quarter to make it 4-1.
Back-to-back goals from senior Leigh Naturale to open the second quarter kept the Bombers rolling offensively. Holowinski netted her second of the day with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter, and the Bombers increased their lead to six (7-1). Clarkson cut its deficit to four heading before Ithaca scored two more with goals from senior Katelyn Ikle and Cody to close out the second quarter with a six-goal 9-3 advantage at halftime.
The third quarter began with back-to-back draw controls and goals from Cody, followed by a goal from Anna Dahlman as the Bombers extended their lead to 11 with three minutes left in the third quarter. The period ended with two goals from sophomore Emma Hardy, sending the Bombers into the final quarter with a 15-5 lead.
Goalie Mikaela Dattilo stood tall in net for Ithaca, making seven saves in the victory.
Ithaca continued its offensive momentum in the fourth quarter with three goals. Junior Paige Smith found sophomore Kelly Kilbourn in the eight-meter for the final goal of the game as the Bombers won 18-5.
Senior Phoebe Hosford led the team with four ground balls, while Naturale led the team offensively with five points (4G, 1A). Cody added three goals and two assists for five points.
Several milestones were reached in the Liberty League first round for the Bombers: Datillo eclipsed the 300-save mark with her seven stops, Hosford surpassed 100 career ground balls, Kelly Augeri recorded her 100th career goal, and Lily Cody reached the 150-goal milestone.
The Bomber will be making its eighth consecutive appearance in the Liberty League semifinals, facing off against second-seeded Union College on Friday, May 1, in Schenectady, N.Y.