Elmira, NY – It was a busy and eventful week full of home events for Elmira College Athletics. The men's and women's soccer programs highlighted the week with thrilling victories, while field hockey celebrated its Class of 2016 with Senior Recognition Day on Saturday. The men's and women's cross country teams moved into the championship portion of their respective schedules with a strong showing at the Cross Country Only Championships. Moving indoors, the women's volleyball team had a busy home stretch with five contests at Speidel Gymnasium over a three day period. Dig into the latest edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly.
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Women's Soccer Hosts Ithaca College in Must-Win Game on Tuesday
The Elmira College women's soccer team is still very much alive for securing the fourth and final berth to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament with three games remaining on the conference schedule. Hartwick College and Houghton College currently sit in a tie for the fourth spot, while Elmira sits two-points back in sixth. However, the Soaring Eagles control their own fate, as the team holds a game-in-hand on the two above. The solution is simple for the Purple and Gold, win-out and the team will qualify for the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time since 2005. Elmira will take the first step in executing that plan when they welcome Ithaca College to Campus Field for a 3:00 p.m. clash on Tuesday, October 20^th.
 
Women's Volleyball Hosts Important Empire 8 Crossover This Weekend
The Elmira College women's volleyball team is also in prime position to qualify for the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. The Soaring Eagles currently occupy the fourth and final berth with a 4-2 mark in conference play. Elmira will close out its conference slate this weekend with a huge crossover at Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles face a tough task, as they welcome the top two teams in the current standings in Stevens Institute of Technology and Houghton College. Although there are still many different clinching scenarios, the simplest for women's volleyball is the same as women's soccer, win-out and they're in.
 
Basketball and Ice Hockey Begin Preseason Practice
The winter sports season is right around the corner. Both ice hockey and basketball kicked off official preseason practices over the past week. Be on the lookout to the athletics website for new insider content on the preseason in the coming weeks.
 
A Look Back on the Week That Was…
 
Bryant Continues Hot Streak in Pair of Thrilling Wins for Men's Soccer
The Elmira College men's soccer team continued its incredible roll over the last month with a pair of thrilling victories this past week. The Soaring Eagles opened the week with a Wednesday afternoon matchup against SUNY Canton. The Roos capitalized on a sluggish start by the home side to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. However, Elmira showcased its resiliency and composure yet again, battling back with three unanswered goals in the second half to secure a 3-2 win. Michael Bryant '17 tallied the equalizer on a penalty kick, before sending in the game-winner with his head in the 76^th minute of play. The third-year forward continued his remarkable hot streak on Saturday in a huge Empire 8 matchup against Houghton College. His 41^st minute header staked Elmira to a 1-0 halftime lead, which he would then double in the 55^th minute on a penalty kick. Donte Donegal '18 capped the scoring with his first of the season to seal the 3-1 victory in the 89^th minute. Bryant is now up to 16 goals on the season, which is tied for fourth-most in the program's history for a single season.
 
For more updates on EC Men's Soccer, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Rousselle's Double-OT Tally Pushes Women's Soccer Past Alfred State
The Elmira College women's soccer team opened the past week with a big Empire 8 matchup at Houghton College. Unfortunately, a slow start would doom the Soaring Eagles, as the Highlanders tallied twice in the opening half. Netminder Gabe Carmona '18 contributed 16 saves in a valiant effort to keep Elmira in the game, but the attack struggled to get organized in the 2-0 loss. Elmira rallied nicely over the weekend in a non-conference road tilt against Alfred State on Saturday afternoon. The Purple and Gold dominated possession throughout the contest, firing 21 shot attempts – including 13 on goal – through 90 minutes of regulation; however, the Pioneers' keeper Allison Danielak stood tall to keep the contest scoreless. The Soaring Eagles finally found the breakthrough on their 22^nd shot attempt, as Jordyn Rousselle '18 ran onto a beautiful through-ball from Amy Sullivan '18 and slipped a shot into the corner of the net. The 103^rd minute tally was Elmira's first overtime game-winner since defeating Kings College 1-0 on September 16, 2008, while it was the program's latest goal dating back to before the 2002 season.
 
For more updates on EC Women's Soccer, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Volleyball Posts 3-2 Record in Busy Week at Home
The Elmira College women's volleyball team enjoyed its longest stretch of home matches of the season this past week, as the team returned home to host the Elmira College Invitational over this past weekend. The Soaring Eagles kicked off the week on Thursday evening when they welcomed Cazenovia College for Senior Recognition Night. The program honored seven members of the Class of 2016, which was the largest ever in the history of the program. The Purple and Gold took home the victory in straight-sets, while that was not the only excitement that took place on the night: CLICK HERE. Elmira continued the week with an up-and-down weekend in their home invitational. Elmira dropped a pair of contests on Day One to SUNY Canton and SUNY Geneseo; however, the team rallied behind the hot hitting of Natalie Schieder '19 to defeat SUNY Cortland and the City College of New York on Saturday.
 
For more updates on EC Women's Volleyball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Cross Country Shows Well at the Cross Country Only Conference Championships
The Elmira College men's and women's cross country teams kicked off the championship portion of their respective schedules when it traveled to Seneca Lake State Park for the Cross Country Only Conference Championships. The Elmira men and women both finished eighth as a team in their respective races, which represents their best finishes of the season. Cody Stinson '16 led the Elmira men with the second-best 8K time of his career, crossing the finish line in 29:24.30 to take 32^nd place. Yoshi Yokoi '19 (34:19.60; 92^nd place), Jared Smith '17 (34:52.30; 99^th place) and Jonathan Muller '18 (36:31.90; 113^th place) each posted new career bests. It was a historic day on the women's side, as Hannah Lundgren '18 set a new 5K program record in impressive fashion, crossing the line in 20:34.90 to finish 13^th. In all, 10 of Elmira's 11 runners set new personal bests in the 5K during the race.
 
For more updates on EC Men's Cross Country, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
For more updates on EC Women's Cross Country, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Field Hockey Falls to St. John Fisher on Senior Day
The Elmira College field hockey team also recognized its Class of 2016 this past weekend when it welcomed St. John Fisher College to the Murray Athletic Center. The Soaring Eagles honored Emily Castelli '16 and Alli Gilbert '16 in a pregame ceremony at midfield. Unfortunately, the Empire 8 leading Cardinals spoiled the party once the game got underway. The visitors controlled play for much of the afternoon in sending the Soaring Eagles to their third consecutive 4-0 shutout defeat.
 
For more updates on EC Field Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Monday, October 19, 2015
Men's Golf at Franklin and Marshall College Invitational, 12:00 p.m.
 
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
*Women's Soccer vs. Ithaca College, 3:00 p.m.
Men's Soccer at SUNY New Paltz, 3:00 p.m.
Field Hockey at University of Rochester, 6:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Women's Volleyball at University of Rochester, 6:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, October 24, 2015
*Women's Volleyball vs. Houghton College, 11:00 a.m.
*Women's Soccer at Hartwick College, 12:00 p.m.
*Men's Soccer at Ithaca College, 12:00 p.m.
*Field Hockey at Houghton College, 12:00 p.m.
*Women's Volleyball vs. Stevens Institute of Technology, 4:00 p.m.
 
Bold Indicates Home Event
*Indicates Conference Matchup