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Elmira, NY --The Elmira College women's soccer team opened their 2013 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating the Lycoming College Warriors 4-0 at Elmira College's Campus Field. Mollie Hamilton '15 spearheaded the offensive attack for the Soaring Eagles, recording her first career hat-trick and adding an assist as well. The win takes Elmira to 1-0 on the year and drops Lycoming to 0-2.

The Soaring Eagles peppered Warrior goalie Caitlin Dougherty with shots early on in the first half but the keeper held strong making three tough saves. Elmira finally broke through the barrier in the 17th minute when Kelsie DeKarski '14 got EC on the board. It all started after Hamilton stole possession at midfield. She carried the ball down the right sideline waiting for her teammates to get in position and then sent the ball into the box. DeKarski made a run towards the near post and volleyed the Hamilton service into the opposite corner, easily beating Dougherty.

The DeKarski goal jumpstarted the EC attack as they continued to apply pressure on the Lycoming players all over the pitch. The pressure paid off in the 28th minute when Elmira was awarded a corner kick off of a deflected pass. Sara Hovendon '15 sent the corner into the six-yard box and found Emily Karpinski '14 winding up for a header. Karpinski's attempt was saved by a diving Dougherty, but Dougherty's effort left the Lycoming net unattended and enabled Hamilton to sneak in and clean up the mess. Her first goal of the day gave EC a 2-0 lead.

Just over five minutes later, Hamilton and the Soaring Eagles would strike again. Meagan Fullen '17, in her first appearance for EC, fed Hamilton a through ball with plenty of room to attack. Hamilton took a few dribbles and ripped a left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box. The shot carried over Dougherty's outstretched arms and finished in the upper-left corner of the goal, bringing the score to 3-0, which would hold for the duration of the half.

With a 3-0 lead heading into the second half, plenty of new faces made their way onto the field for Elmira College as every newcomer who dressed for the game saw time. One of those new faces, Mikayla Gowett '17, made an instant impact in her first career appearance in the Purple and Gold. In the 61st minute, Gowett received a DeKarski corner kick and proceeded to find Hamilton in front of the net for the easy finish, giving Gowett her first career point. The score would hold at 4-0 for the remainder of the game.

Danielle Fournier '15 started in net for the Soaring Eagles in place of the injured Amanda Banner '17, her first appearance in goal since her freshman year of high school. Fournier excelled against the Warriors, tallying five saves on the day en route to her first career win and shutout. Normally one of the defensive anchors for EC, Fournier also used her field experience to control positioning of her teammates all game long.

Elmira College will look to carry this momentum to Scranton, PA where the women will square off against King's College, Friday, September 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.