Elmira College (1-3, 0-0 Empire 8) vs. Nazareth College (1-1, 0-0 Empire 8)
Saturday, September 12, 2015 | 1:00 P.M. | Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY – Fresh off its first victory of 2015, Elmira College field hockey returns home to begin Empire 8 Conference play this weekend when the team welcomes Nazareth College to the Murray Athletic Center. The Soaring Eagles will look to translate the momentum from its latest victory, as it looks for a fast start in league play.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira College is 5-10 all-time against Nazareth College. The Soaring Eagles got off to a strong start in the overall series, winning five of the first seven contests between the two programs. The series has been all Golden Flyers over recent years, as Nazareth has won the last eight matches. Elmira's last win over Nazareth came in a 2-1 victory during the 2006 season. Although Nazareth holds the distinct edge in the recent series, the contests have been quite competitive. The last three contests have all been decided by a single goal, including last season's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Flyers in Rochester, NY.
 
First Win
Elmira's victory over Keuka College on Tuesday afternoon was the squad's first win of the 2015 campaign; however, it held even greater meaning to the Soaring Eagles' first-year head coach. The win was Lauren Silva's first victory as a head coach at the collegiate level.
 
Offensive Outburst
After being held to just one goal through the first three contests of 2015, EC exploded for three goals in the victory over Keuka on Tuesday. The team has been steadily improving throughout the season in terms of its possession and shooting numbers, increasing its game-by-game shot attempts in each successive contest to-date. The Soaring Eagles will have their work cut out for them if they want to carry that trend through this weekend, as the Purple and Gold unleashed 35 shot attempts – including 20 on goal – in Tuesday's contest against the Wolfpack.
 
Hat-Trick for Machika
Atu Machika '18 has been an impact player for the Soaring Eagles since her debut with the program last fall. Although she has always shown excellent offensive skills, the sophomore midfielder entered Tuesday's contest still searching for her first collegiate goal. She cleared that hurdle in emphatic fashion against Keuka on Tuesday, tallying all three goals in the victory. The hat-trick was the first scored by a Soaring Eagles player since Alli Gilbert '16 tallied all three goals in a 3-2 overtime victory over Houghton College on October 24^th of last season.
 
Scouting Nazareth
The Golden Flyers enter Saturday's contest with a 2-1 record on the season. The squad dropped its season opener by a 3-0 final at the University of Rochester; however, Nazareth has rattled off two straight victories since then. The Golden Flyers rallied from a 2-0 deficit at halftime to best Oswego State in overtime 3-2. In the team's most recent game on Wednesday evening, Nazareth dominated The College at Brockport in a 4-0 victory. Senior Catherine Willard leads the Golden Flyers with four goals on the year, scoring a pair of goals in the victory over The College of Brockport. Lauren Devine and Kimber Nourse have split the minutes in the cage this season. Devine played 50:06, making three saves in Wednesday night's contest, while Nourse played 9:30, before ceding the net to backup Abby Farnham to close out the shutout. Nourse has yet to allow a goal in her 66:53 minutes played this season.
 
Looking Ahead
Following Saturday's conference opener, the Soaring Eagles will return to non-conference play, as Elmira welcomes Wilkes University for a 4:00 p.m. start at the Murray Athletic Center on Wednesday, September 16^th.