ITHACA, N.Y. - Junior Gabriella Mihale netted the game winner with just 11 seconds left in regulation to lift the Ithaca College women's soccer team past Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 2-1, on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Bombers improve to 12-1-2 overall (6-1-0 Liberty League), while the Engineers drop to 4-8-3 (1-4-2 Liberty League).
 
Sophomore Alex Epifani sent a ball ahead to Mihale, who slipped past her defender and placed a shot past a diving Joey Lyons. Mihale now has five goals on the season while Epifani has a team-high seven assists.
 
Ithaca that struck first in the game, scoring in the 14th minute. Epifani scored team-leading seventh goal of the season after controlling the ball at the top of the box and firing just under the crossbar.
 
The Engineers made an offensive push in the following minutes, testing Emma Fruhling in goal twice. Fruhling came up with the saves on shots by both Emily Kaplan and Michelle Lomoz.
 
RPI finally converted for the tying goal in the 26th minute. Following Fruhling's save on a shot by Lomoz, the ball was deflected in front of the goal, where Kaplan was there for the finish.
 
The Bombers had several promising chances to take a lead through the remainder of the first half, starting with a Mihale shot in the 37th minute, which was saved by Lyons. Christina DiCesare tested Lyons again three minutes later, but the goalkeeper once again came up with the save.
 
In the final minute of the first half, IC put together one more play in attempt to score. Following her corner kick, Sam Robinson came in to rip a shot to goal, but Lyons stopped it, sending things into halftime tied, 1-1.
 
Coming out of the break, the Bombers continued to work on the offensive end, netting four shots in the first 11 minutes. The Bombers forced Lyons to make three saves in a row on Reid Garner, Epifani and Elise Leavitt shots.
 
In the 57th minute, the Engineers' Whitney Wisnom put a shot on goal, but Fruhling was there to make the save.
 
The Bombers' best chance in the second half, prior to the game-winner, was in the 66th minute when Mihale sent a header in, which nearly found the back of the net, but Lyons was able to gain control of it to stop the play.
 
RPI registered just one more shot, in the 82nd minute, but Fruling was there to make the stop on Wisnom attempt.
 
In the final three minutes of the game, the Bombers continued to push offensively. Robinson got off a shot in the 88th minute, before Megan O'Reilly and Epifani put shots on goal in the final minute of play. All three shots were stopped by Lyons, but the Bombers were able to convert on Mihale's shot with 11 seconds left.
 
Statistically, the Bombers outshot RPI 15-11 while registering four corner kicks to the Engineer's one. Fruhiling made seven saves in the net to earn her first win of her career at IC. Lyons made 10 saves for the Engineers.
 
Ithaca is back in action on Wednesday as the Bombers travel to RIT (3:30pm). Rensselaer hosts Vassar on Wednesday (7:30pm).