Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College Men's Soccer team took the field today looking to remain undefeated on the season as they hosted conference rival , Steven's Tech. With the top spot in the Empire 8 Conference up for grabs, both teams played extremely hard, however it was Stevens who pulled through late to secure a 2-1 victory.
The play in the first half proved why these two teams are atop the conference standings and are ranked in the top 10 regionally. Each team had opportunities to score in the first half, but good goalie play and a little luck kept the score at a 0-0 tie.
The second half picked up right where the first half left off, but it was the Ducks who struck first in the scoring column. In the 67th minute, Stevens Tech's Zach Adler sent a corner kick into the box where teammate, Pete Bednarsky was able to redirect it with his foot and into the back of the net giving the Ducks the 1-0 lead.
The two teams continued to battle, but in the 80th minute Elmira College would strike back to tie the score. Ryan Limero'14 (Belchertown, MA -- Dublin School) sent a long pass into the box where Jackson Correia'14 (Simsburg, CT -- Masters School) gathered it off of one bounce and drilled the shot into the lower left corner of the goal.
The tie did not last long as Stevens was able to respond and score just two and a half minutes later. After a clear by the Ducks' defense, Adler took the ball down the sideline and crossed it into the box where he found Stephen Dunbar who volleyed it into the net.
The Soaring Eagles had a few good scoring opportunities late, but could not capitalize and the game ended in a 2-1 loss. Jared Micheller'12 (Wilson, NY -- Wilson Central) was active all game, making 12 saves in net for the Purple and Gold.The loss is EC's first on the year taking their record to 9-1-1 and 2-1-1 in the Empire 8 Conference.
The Soaring Eagles will look to bounce back in their next game as they travel to take on conference foe Utica College on Saturday, October 15th.
