ALFRED, NY - A strong defensive effort from the Alfred University football team wasn't enough, as they fell to #20 Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon from Yunevich Stadium. 

The Saxons (1-2, 0-0 Empire 8) allowed their fewest points to the Bombers (2-1, 0-0 Liberty League) dating back to the 2018 season. 

Dion Anderson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate) led the offense with team-high 8 receptions and 64 receiving yards. Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) led all defensive players with 15 tackles, 13 of which were solo. Adam Mietz (Akron, NY/Akron) finished the game with 9 tackles and a forced fumble for AU. 

"I thought we did some good things today, but I am definitely frustrated by our lack of offensive output," Head Coach Bob Rankl said. "The defense did a great job of keeping us in the game. We moved the ball well at times, but at the end of the day, we need to score points and we didn't do that today. We need to get back to work and prepare against a very good Catholic football team."

The Bombers found offensive rhythm early in the game, scoring a touchdown in their opening possession. Ithaca followed it up with a 15-play drive that carried into the second quarter to extend their lead to 16-0. The Saxons defense played well to close out the first half, keeping Ithaca scoreless for the remainder of the second quarter. In the second half, the Bombers scored six more points in the fourth quarter from two field goals before ultimately securing the win. 

Alfred University will next travel to face Catholic University next Saturday at 1:00 PM.