Elmira College Soaring Eagles (0-0) vs. Buffalo State Bengals (0-0)
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 | 3:00 P.M. | Buffalo, NY – Coyer Field
Live Coverage
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's soccer team opens the 2015 campaign on the road on Tuesday, September 1st at 3:00 p.m. against the Buffalo State Bengals. The Soaring Eagles will look to build off of their berth in the 2014 ECAC Metro-Upstate Tournament – their first postseason appearance in a decade – with a strong start to the new season.
Meet the Coaches
Elmira College named former University of Mount Union goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mallernee the head coach of the Soaring Eagles women's soccer team in July. Mallernee comes to EC after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. She helped the Kenyon Ladies win the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title and advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament last fall. Mallernee is assisted by one of her former players, Aisha Simon, who also ran both indoor and outdoor track at Kenyon.
Leading the Way
The back end will be the strength for the Purple and Gold in 2015. EC returns a pair of record-setting goalkeepers and three starting defenders from a year ago. Amanda Banner '17 turned in the second-lowest goals-against average in school history at 1.06 in 2014 and Gabe Carmona '18 followed with the sixth-best average at 1.35. In addition, three-year starter Kimi Girmus '16 and fellow senior Rachael Smith '16 will join Kerri Wertman '17, who started all 17 games last season, to form a formidable wall on the back line.
Series History
Tuesday's matchup marks the first meeting between the two schools since October 4, 2011. The Bengals won that contest, 2-0, in Buffalo. Elmira College played Buffalo State squared off every year between 2008 and 2011, and EC went 0-4 against the Bengals – including 0-2 at Coyer Field – in that span.
Scouting the Bengals
Buffalo State advanced to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament Semifinals as the sixth seed by upsetting No. 3 Fredonia on penalty kicks in the first round. The Bengals, however, lost to SUNY Cortland, 1-0, in the semis to finish with a 7-8-5 record. As freshmen, Breanna Knight '18 and Tianna Hatch '18 were first and third, respectively, in scoring. Knight led the team with 10 goals and 12 points; Hatch scored four goals and nine points. Second-year goalies Jessica McCarey '18 and Nicole Torres '18 also return for the Bengals after posting a combined goals-against average of 0.95 as rookies.
Looking Ahead
The Soaring Eagles return to Campus Field for the 2015 home opener on Sunday, September 6th at 12 p.m. when they host the Eagles of the University of Mary Washington. It will be the first-ever meeting between the feathered foes. Last season, Mary Washington advanced to the Capital Athletic Conference title game as the sixth seed in the conference tournament, where it fell to Frostburg State, 2-0.
