CORTLAND, N.Y. – Freshman Rachel Palladino (Groton/Lansing) scored a pair of first-half goals to lead the nationally eighth-ranked Ithaca women's soccer team to a come-from-behind, 2-1, win versus Cortland Friday afternoon at Holloway Field. The Red Dragons dropped their first game of the season and fell to 7-1, while the Bombers improved to 7-1.

For Cortland, freshman Stacey Wood (New Hyde Park) scored her third goal of the season, and senior Ashley Mewhorter (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) recorded an assist. Junior goalie Pam Monnier (East Northport/Northport) made six saves and had a scoreless streak that spanned seven games ended at 491 minutes, 31 seconds.

Graduate student Lauren Koppel (Rockville Center/Southside) collected an assist for Ithaca, and junior goalie Alyssa Sotomayor (East Brunswick, NJ) registered seven saves.

Wood gave Cortland a 1-0 lead exactly 21 minutes into the game. Mewhorter served a corner kick into the box, where Wood controlled the ball, spun and sent a shot inside the left post through a screen. Sixty-five seconds later, Palladino struck for her first of the game. Monnier made an outstanding save on an initial shot by Palladino, but the Bomber forward was able to knock in her own rebound to tie the game at 1-1. Just over seven minutes later, the Bombers capitalized on a turnover in their offensive end. Koppel sent a soft pass into the box and Palladino one-touched a 15-yard shot under Monnier, who had charged off her line.

Both teams had excellent opportunities in the second half. In the 57th minute, Cortland junior Carly Williams (Emerson, NJ) struck a one-time shot that just carried over the right elbow of the goal. Two minutes later, Monnier made a diving save on Ithaca senior Amy Scheffer's (Schalmont/Schenectady) hard shot.

The Bombers then had two chances in the later stages of the game to add an insurance goal, but Monnier punched Scheffer's 25-yard free kick over the crossbar in the 77th minute and tipped senior Liz Masucci's (New Providence, NJ) long shot over the top in the 80th minute. With time winding down, Cortland pressed for the tying goal. Sotomayor denied sophomore Bridgette DeSantis' (Schenectady/Mohonasen) header at the left post in the 88th minute after a scramble ensued following a Cortland corner kick. With less than a minute remaining, Wood struck a 15-yard shot that barely cleared the crossbar. Ithaca was able to clear the ball downfield on a goal kick and run out the clock for the win.

Each team took 16 shots in the game and had six corner kicks.

Ithaca 2, Cortland 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
    Ithaca: Rachel Palladino 2-0, Lauren Koppel 0-1
    Cortland: Stacey Wood 1-0, Ashley Mewhorter 0-1

Halftime: Ithaca 2, Cortland 1
Shots: Cortland 16, Ithaca 16
Corner Kicks: Cortland 6, Ithaca 6
Fouls: Cortland 13, Ithaca 8
Saves: Alyssa Sotomayor (Ithaca) 7 (1 GA in 90:00); Pam Monnier (Cortland) 6 (2 GA in 90:00)
Record after game: Ithaca (Bombers) 7-1 (ranked 8th nationally in Div. III); Cortland (Red Dragons) 7-1