Elmira College Soaring Eagles (0-3) vs. Hilbert College Hawks (1-1)
Saturday, September 12, 2015 | 3:00 P.M. | Campus Field – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- Coming off a tough loss in the team's road opener, Elmira College men's soccer will return to Campus Field still in search of its first victory this season. The Soaring Eagles will look to get into the win column when they welcome Hilbert College for a 3:00 p.m. opening kick on Saturday, September 12^th.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira continued to experience some growing pains with its young backline in the team's first road contest of the season. Keuka College struck for two first half goals – in the 14th and 34th minutes – on Wednesday night to snatch control of the contest right out of the gate. The Wolfpack would go on to add another goal in the 76th-minute to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Michael Bryant '17 would finally breakthrough for the Soaring Eagles with his third goal in as many games in the 81st-minute to cap the scoring in the 3-1 defeat.
 
Series History
Elmira and Hilbert have met seven times since the 2002 season, with the Soaring Eagles posting a 6-0-1 mark against their non-conference foe. EC had their winning-streak over Hilbert snapped last season, as the programs played to a 3-3 double overtime tie at Hawk Field. Hilbert raced out to an early 3-0 lead in the opening 25-minutes; however, Donte Donegal '18 had a career-game by scoring a hat-trick – which included a pair of goals in the second half – to salvage the tie.
 
Bryant Stays Hot
With his goal in the 81st-minute on Wednesday night against Keuka, Bryant has now found the back of the net in three consecutive games to begin the season. It is the first time an Elmira player has scored in three consecutive games to begin a season, since Ernesto Valverde '14 tallied in five straight games to open 2012. With a goal against the Hawks, Bryant will tie Andre Germano '15, who was the last Elmira player to score in four consecutive games, which also occurred during the 2012 season.
 
Getting Defensive
 It's no secret that it was going to be somewhat of a baptism by fire for the EC backline during the early part of this year, as the squad planned to break-in several new starters in the defensive third. The backline will need to gel sooner rather than later. After blanking No. 19 SUNY Cortland through the opening half of the season opener, the Soaring Eagles have now conceded 11 goals over their last five halves of play. The defensive tests will continue for Elmira today, as it faces a Hilbert squad that has tallied twice in each of its first two contests this season.
 
Scouting Hilbert
The Hawks enter Saturday's matchup with a 1-1 record on the season. Hilbert opened the year with a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory over Cazenovia College on September 4th. Nicholas Clay was the hero, tallying the golden-goal in the 108th-minute of play to seal the victory. The Hawks looked to have carried the momentum into their road opener at Alfred University on Wednesday evening, as Jonathan Davison staked the visitors to a 2-1 lead on the strength of two second half goals in the 50th and 60th minutes. However, the Saxons rallied with a pair of goals to deal Hilbert its first defeat of the year. Davison paces the Hawks with three goals on the fledgling campaign. Keeper Ryan Valentine has played every minute of Hilbert's first two contests and enters Saturday with a solid 19 saves and .826 save percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira will continue its non-conference slate as the team returns to the road for its next contest. The Soaring Eagles will head to Rochester, NY to square-off with the RIT on Tuesday, September 15th. Opening kick is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.