Elmira College Soaring Eagles (0-0) vs. SUNY Cortland Red Dragons (0-0)
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 | 4:00 P.M. | Elmira, NY – Campus Field
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- With preseason camp just about in the rearview mirror, the Elmira College men's soccer team will turn its attention away from two-a-day sessions and onto the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland for the 2015 season opener on Tuesday, September 1st at 4:00 p.m.  Tuesday's season opener, which will also serve as Elmira's home opener, marks the second consecutive meeting between the two programs.
 
Season Opener
The start of the 2015 season begins tomorrow for the Elmira College men's soccer team, as the Soaring Eagles host SUNY Cortland for a non-conference matchup at Campus Field.  Elmira is 10-3 in season opening games since the 2002 season and 8-3 in home openers during that time as well.  Tomorrow's matchup with the Red Dragons of Cortland also marks the third straight home season opening game at Campus Field for the Soaring Eagles.
 
Returning Firepower for EC
Elmira returns all five of their goal scorers from a season ago, including their leading scorer and point leader, Donte Donegal '18.  Donegal, who was an Empire 8 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection in 2014, finished his rookie campaign with four goals, two assists, and 10 points.  Joining him are fellow classmates Tony Barraco '18 and Ronaldo Charlton '18, who finished tied for second in the goals scored with two apiece.
 
Scouting Cortland
The Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland are fresh off one of their best seasons in program history, one that culminated with an NCAA Tournament Third Round appearance as well as a runner-up finish in the SUNYAC Tournament.  The downside for Cortland however, is they are missing three of their top four scorers from a season ago and their starting goalie. Thankfully for the Red Dragons, their second-leading point scorer is back in Robby Reiser '16.  Reiser enjoyed a very productive junior year, finishing the 2014 campaign with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. 
 
Series History
SUNY Cortland leads the all-time series, 11-3-0.  Tuesday's matchup will be the second consecutive meeting between the two teams after not facing each other for 10 years.  Elmira's last win against Cortland dates back to the 1999 season when EC scored a 2-0 victory.
 
Looking Ahead
Following tomorrow's matchup, the Soaring Eagles will be back in action on Friday, September 4th, when the Elmira men host Susquehanna University at 4:00 p.m. at Campus Field in Elmira, NY.