TROY, N.Y. - The Ithaca College women's soccer team scored once in each half and sophomore goalkeeper Claire Reader stopped all four shots she faced as the Bombers defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 2-0 in a Liberty League match at East Campus Stadium. Ithaca improves to 11-3-0 overall and 5-2-0 in the conference, while the Engineers drop to 4-5-4 and 1-4-2.
 
The Bombers took the lead in the 29th minute when senior Megan Buttinger scored on their seventh shot of the game. The play began with Reader booting the ball from just outside her net to midfield, where it was played ahead by Delaney Rutan, eventually finding Rosie Bostian. The sophomore slid the ball to her left to Buttinger in the middle of the field, where she worked her way around a defender and fired a right-footed shot from 20 yards out that sailed over a lunging Maya Kessler and into the upper right corner of the net. Kessler, who finished with 12 saves, managed to get a touch on the ball with her right hand but could not keep it out of the net. The goal was the third of the season for Buttinger, a midfielder.
 
The half ended with Ithaca holding an 11-2 advantage in shots, including 8-1 on goal, while both teams had a pair of corner kicks.
 
RPI came out strong in the second half and generated a scoring opportunity in the second minute of the frame when Whitney Wisnom feathered a pass up the right side that Gwen Barnes reached and crossed. Erin Barnes chased the ball down on the opposite side and dribbled toward goal before releasing a shot that was pushed out of bounds by Reader for a corner kick. The resulting attempt led to a header shot by Bryanna Swinson, but Reader made the save.
 
Rensselaer had another chance to tie the game in the 75th minute when a Brooke Miller pass sent Gwen Barnes in alone down the right side but a charging Reader knocked the ball away before retrieving it after a collision with Barnes.
 
The visitors doubled their lead in the 73rd minute on a Kelsey Espenhorst turnaround shot off a loose ball scramble. The play started with a free kick from 26 yards out by the Bombers, who fed it to the corner before serving the ball into the middle. A header by Espenhorst caromed off the cross bar but back into the front of the goal. In one motion, Espenhorst turned and scored from the right side for her fourth of the season.
 
Julia Pelletier had the final chance to break the ice for the Engineers when she sent a header on goal off a Wisnom feed, but Reader covered the bouncing ball with just over a minute to play.
 
Ithaca, which sits in second place in the conference standings, outshot the Engineers 19-6, including 14-4 on goal.

RPI is in action again on Wednesday at Vassar, while the Bombers host RIT on Tuesday. The Tigers are one point behind Ithaca in the league standings.