Elmira College (5-4-3) vs. Houghton College (6-5-2)
Saturday, October 17, 2015 | 1:00 P.M. | Campus Field – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles

Elmira, NY -- Coming off of Wednesday's three-goal second-half rally over SUNY Canton, the Elmira College men's soccer team will welcome Houghton College to Campus Field on Saturday, October 17th.

The Empire 8 Conference matchup between the Soaring Eagles and Highlanders will kick off at 1:00 p.m., as EC looks to extend its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games.

Last Time Out
The Kangaroos of SUNY Canton scored twice in the first 15-plus minutes in Wednesday's non-conference affair. The Roos would take a 2-0 lead in the 16th minute when Jules Ngadula carried the ball down the right wing and sent a cross into the box. The EC defense was there for an interception, but the would-be clear was hit directly to Canton's Edward Malinoski inside the box, giving him an easy finish for the score. The Soaring Eagles, however, began their comeback 11 seconds into the second half. John Broyles '19 booted the kick-off deep into the attacking third, which took a bounce over Canton goalie Austin Lamay to Tony Barraco '18 for the finish. Michael Bryant '17 tied the game with a penalty kick in the 75th minute, before netting the game-winner with a header off of a Barraco corner kick in the 80th minute.

Lucky No. 7
With the win over SUNY Canton on Wednesday, the EC men's soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to seven straight games. In that span, the Soaring Eagles are 4-0-3. With a win or tie against Houghton, Elmira would tie the longest such streak since 2012, when the Purple and Gold began the year with eight consecutive wins.

Climbing the National Rankings
After leading the charge in Wednesday's come-from-behind victory with the game-tying and game-winning goals, Bryant is now among the top-five in the nation in several offensive categories. As of October 15th, the Portola Hills, CA, product ranked second in NCAA Division III men's soccer with 1.27 goals per game and third with 2.82 points per game. He is also fourth in shots per game (5.64) and fifth in shots on goal per game (3.09). In addition, his 14 goals and 31 points rank ninth and 13th, respectively.

Catalog Campaign
Not only is Bryant among the best scorers in the nation, but his season is nearing one of the best in the last decade. His 14 goals are tied for the ninth-most in a single season, and it marks the first time since 1997 that a Soaring Eagle has scored 14 or more goals in a season. His 31 total points are also the most in a season since 1997. That year, the program's all-time leading scorer, Joe Sears '98, scored 16 times and finished with 37 points. A four-year letterwinner, Sears would graduate with 139 career points and 59 goals, tops in both categories.

Series History
Elmira and Houghton have played each other 16 times since their first meeting in 1978. The Highlanders have seen the majority of success in the series with an 11-4-1 record against the Soaring Eagles. However, the teams are 1-1 in their last two meetings, with each team earning a win on their home fields. Elmira's last win in the series occurred in 2013, when the Soaring Eagles pulled-off a 1-0 upset against the Highlanders, who were ranked fourth in the region at the time.  

Scouting Houghton
Houghton College currently sits one spot ahead of Elmira for fourth place in the Empire 8 Conference standings with a 2-1-1 league record. Its E8 wins have come over St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College. In their last conference game, the Highlanders lost to Ithaca College, 2-0, on October 10th. On Tuesday, Houghton held on to defeat Alfred State, 3-2. The Pioneers rallied from a three-goal deficit to score twice in the second half but could not find the equalizer. Jordan Mullen leads the Highlanders with six goals and Ben Lawrence is first on the squad with 13 points. Goalkeeper Jacob Dunnett has played all 1,229:06 in net, and has an impressive 1.32 goals-against average - the third lowest in the E8. 
 
Up Next
The Elmira College men's soccer team begin a three-game excursion with a stop at SUNY New Paltz for a non-conference game on Tuesday, October 20th, at 3:00 p.m.