Elmira, NY -- Crossover season is finally upon us in this latest installment of Soaring Eagles Weekly. Elmira College's fall sports head into the final week of the regular-season, while the winter sports season kicks off this weekend, as women's ice hockey takes to the ice at the East-West Hockey Classic. One fall sports program has already clinched its berth to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, as women's volleyball picked up a big result over the weekend. Elmira College men's soccer also has tournament aspirations, but it will all come down to the final game this coming weekend. Dig into another jam-packed issue of Soaring Eagles Weekly!
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Men's and Women's Soccer Host Senior Recognition Day on Saturday
The Elmira College men's and women's soccer teams will conclude their respective regular-season slates on Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader at Campus Field. The Elmira women will honor five members in its Class of 2016 in a pregame ceremony, before facing Alfred University at 12:00 p.m. The Elmira men have a berth in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament on the line when they welcome St. John Fisher College in the second game of the doubleheader. The men's team will honor six in its graduating class in a pregame ceremony. We hope to see you out at Campus Field for the final home games of the season on Saturday!
 
Women's Ice Hockey Opens Season at East-West Hockey Classic
The Elmira College women's ice hockey team will open its 2015-16 season on Saturday at the East-West Hockey Classic, hosted by Norwich University. The Soaring Eagles face a tough test right off the bat, as the team will face Midwestern power Adrian College on Saturday, October 31^st, at 4:00 p.m. Elmira will then face either rival Plattsburgh State or Norwich the following day.
 
Field Hockey Concludes Home Slate on Wednesday
The Elmira College field hockey team will conclude its home schedule on Wednesday, October 28^th, when it welcomes Wells College to the Murray Athletic Center for a 3:30 p.m. contest. We hope to see you out at the domes to cheer on your Soaring Eagles for the final time in 2015.
 
Women's Volleyball Gets Final Tune-Up at Oneonta State Tournament This Weekend
Fresh off clinching its berth to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, the Elmira College women's volleyball team will conclude its regular season slate at the Oneonta State Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Soaring Eagles will open the two-day event with a 5:00 p.m. match against Bard College on Friday, October 30^th. The Purple and Gold will conclude the tournament with a pair of matches the following day, taking on Plattsburgh State at 10:00 a.m. and Oneonta State at 12:30 p.m. The matches will serve as a final tune-up for next weekend's conference tournament.
 
Cross Country Resumes Schedule at Empire 8 Conference Championships
The Elmira College men's and women's cross country teams will resume the championship portion of its schedule this coming weekend when they travel to Houghton College for the Empire 8 Conference Championships. The Elmira women are set to go off at 10:45 a.m., while the Elmira men are scheduled to compete at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 31^st.
 
A Look Back at the Week That Was…
 
Women's Volleyball Splits Home Crossover to Secure Berth to Empire 8 Tournament
The Soaring Eagles opened the week with a five-set heartbreaker against the University of Rochester on Wednesday. Elmira split the first four sets in the contest; however, the Yellowjackets jumped out to an early advantage to take the decisive set 15-6. The match served as little more than a tune-up for Elmira's biggest weekend of the season when it welcomed Stevens Institute of Technology and Houghton College for the final crossover of the season at Speidel Gymnasium. The Purple and Gold opened the match-day on Saturday with a straight-sets victory over Houghton, which effectively secured their berth into the conference tournament. The Soaring Eagles fell to Stevens in straight-sets later on Saturday, but with the tiebreaker in hand against the Highlanders it proved to be inconsequential. Natalie Schieder '19 and Kelsey Ross '16 led the way for the Soaring Eagles, tallying a combined 53 kills and 86 digs on the week.
 
For more information on EC Women's Volleyball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Soccer Has Unbeaten Streak Snapped at Nine Contests
After opening the week with a 1-1 tie against SUNY New Paltz, Elmira College men's soccer hoped to take a significant step towards securing its place in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament when it traveled to Ithaca College on Saturday. The Soaring Eagles fell behind on an 18^th minute marker by the Bombers; however, Michael Bryant '17 stretched his goal-scoring streak to eight consecutive games with a 21^st minute equalizer with a header off of a corner kick to knot things up. The score remained unchanged throughout regulation, but a late red card to Aidan Gray '19 gave the Bombers a big advantage heading into overtime. Ithaca broke through with a golden-goal with 2:11 remaining in the first extra session to deal Elmira its first loss in conference play.
 
For more information on EC Men's Soccer, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Soccer Falls Out of Conference Tournament Contention in Loss to Hartwick
The Elmira College women's soccer team had a lot on the line heading into the past week of action with a pair of big Empire 8 showdowns against Ithaca College and Hartwick College. Unfortunately, the Soaring Eagles were not able to secure a big result in either falling 4-0 in both contests. The loss to the Hawks on Saturday officially eliminated Elmira for postseason contention. A silver lining for the Soaring Eagles was the play of Amanda Banner '17. The third-year keeper made nine saves against the Hawks, her second-highest total of the year, which helped her reclaim 10^th place on the program's career saves list with 169.
 
For more information on EC Women's Soccer, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Field Hockey Drops Pair of Contests
The Elmira College field hockey team played a pair of contests in the penultimate week of its 2015 schedule. The Soaring Eagles had trouble containing the high-powered attack of regional power University of Rochester last Tuesday. The Yellowjackets found the back of the cage eight times, while the Purple and Gold could get little traction on the offensive end. Elmira was much more competitive on Saturday when it traveled to Houghton College. Alison Mariano '18 snapped a four-game goalless drought for the team with a 23^rd minute equalizer. Unfortunately, it would not be enough as the Highlanders rallied for two goals to take the game 3-1.
 
For more information on EC Field Hockey, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Golf Concludes Fall Season at Franklin and Marshall Invitational
The Elmira College men's golf team concluded its fall slate last Monday at the Franklin and Marshall College Invitational. The Soaring Eagles finished in 15^th place at the highly competitive event, carding a 341 cumulative team score. Brian Demo '17 led the way for Elmira, posting the best score of his collegiate career in shooting a 79 (+8) to finish in a tie for 25^th place.
 
For more information on EC Men's Golf, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Women's Soccer at Fredonia State, 6:00 p.m.
Men's Soccer at King's College, 7:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Field Hockey vs. Wells College, 3:30 p.m.
 
Friday, October 30, 2015
Women's Volleyball vs. Bard College (in Oneonta, NY), 5:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Women's Volleyball vs. Plattsburgh State (in Oneonta, NY ), 10:00 a.m.
*Women's Cross Country at Empire 8 Conference Championships, 10:45 a.m.
*Men's Cross Country at Empire 8 Conference Championships, 11:30 a.m.
*Women's Soccer vs. Alfred University, 12:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball at Oneonta State, 12:30 p.m.
*Men's Soccer vs. St. John Fisher College, 3:00 p.m.
Women's Ice Hockey vs. Adrian College (in Northfield, VT), 4:00 p.m.
*Field Hockey at Stevens Institute of Technology, 5:00 p.m.
 
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Women's Ice Hockey vs. Norwich University/Plattsburgh State, TBA
 
Bold Indicates Home Contest
*Indicates Empire 8 Conference Contest