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Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's soccer team fought through sloppy field conditions and a 1-0 halftime deficit to post a 2-1 victory over Alfred University Saturday afternoon. Nick Lapinski '17 recorded four saves in the win.

A light drizzle had been saturating the field throughout warm-ups and by the time the opening kickoff came, the playing surface was slick. With harder rain in the forecast, it was clear by the amount of energy at kickoff that both teams felt that getting on the scoreboard early was a key to victory. It appeared as though EC would score first, just over one minute into the game, however, after deliberation between the officials, the goal was waved off and the game remained scoreless.

Alfred would take advantage of their new life and put the first official goal on the scoreboard at the 10:12 mark into the first half. Nicholas Milliman headed a corner kick from Richard Lander past the unsuspecting Lapinski and into the back of the net. The 1-0 Alfred lead would stand until halftime.

Elmira came out in the second half with the intention on putting balls on net after only having one shot on goal in the first half. The strategy worked as EC put eight second-half shots on goal forcing Alfred keeper, Sam Guy, to make save after save.

The Soaring Eagles finally broke through the Saxon defense in the 55th minute when Ernesto Valverde '14 put in his second goal of the season. After being awarded a free kick, Valverde stepped up to the ball and struck a strong, bending shot towards the net. It bent around the four-person wall and skipped into the lower left corner of the goal, well out of reach of Guy.

Less than seven minutes later, the Purple and Gold would strike again as Andre Germano '15 blasted a shot just below the crossbar to give his team a 2-1 lead. The goal was set up by a well-placed cross from Brian Lowe '16.

After EC scored the go-ahead goal, the entire game changed. Both teams upped the physicality of the play and the rivalry between Elmira and Alfred certainly became a factor in the aggression showed on the pitch. Despite the numerous fouls and fourteen total cards, the Soaring Eagles held off the Saxons for the 2-1 victory.

Elmira will look to continue their success on Tuesday, September 24th when they host Wilkes University in a non-conference game. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.