Elmira College Soaring Eagles (0-2) vs. Plattsburgh State Cardinals (2-1)
Saturday, September 12, 2015 | 12:00 P.M. | Elmira, NY - Campus Field
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles

Elmira College Soaring Eagles (0-2) at Bard College Raptors (2-0-1)
Sunday, September 13, 2015 | 1:00 P.M. | Annandale-on-Hudson, NY - Ferrari Soccer & Lacrosse Complex
Live Coverage

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's soccer team will seek the first win of the 2015 campaign when it hosts Plattsburgh State at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th at Campus Field. The second leg of the back-to-back weekend takes the Soaring Eagles to Annandale-on-Hudson, NY on Sunday, September 13th, as the Soaring Eagles battle the Bard College Raptors at 1:00 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles fell to 0-2 on the season following their 4-1 loss to the University of Mary Washington (1-1) at Campus Field on September 6th. Sara Kazerouni '18 put the Purple and Gold on the board in the 86th minute to avoid the shutout. She took a through-ball from Courtney Burgazli '16 into the box for a one-on-one opportunity with the UMW goalkeeper, placing it in the right corner for the score. Gabe Carmona '18 made nine saves in 79:39 and her four goals allowed marked the first time in her career she surrendered more than three in a game.

On the Offensive
Kazerouni's goal was the first scored by the Soaring Eagles in their first two games of the 2015 campaign. It was also the fourth goal of her career at EC, while the assist from Burgazli was the first of her career. The Purple and Gold more than doubled their shot total against Mary Washington (seven) compared to the season-opener against Buffalo State (three), and will look to continue that upward trend to jumpstart the scoring this weekend against Plattsburgh State and Bard College.

Counting on Carmona
In the 1-0 overtime loss to Plattsburgh State on September 5, 2014, Carmona, then a freshman in only her second collegiate game, turned in 15 stops, the most since Karissa Wilson '12 made 16 against SUNY Geneseo on September 7, 2010. The 15 saves vs. Plattsburgh State were a season-high and marked the first of three consecutive games with double-digit saves for the Sylmar, CA native.

Series History
Saturday's contest vs. Plattsburgh State will be only the third matchup against the Cardinals over the last 16 seasons and the second in as many years. Last season, the Cardinals pulled out a 1-0 win in overtime. Prior to the 2014 season, the last meeting between Elmira and Plattsburgh State was an 8-0 loss on November 10, 2004, in the ECAC Tournament.

On Sunday, Elmira and the Raptors of Bard College will be just the third all-time meeting between the two schools. The first meeting came on October 18, 2009, when the Purple and Gold scored a 3-1 victory on the road. Last season, EC and Bard played to a double-overtime tie at 1-1. Just 53 seconds after Elmira took the lead in the 65th minute, the Raptors scored the equalizer for the draw in their season-opener.

Scouting the Cardinals
After defeating Keene State on September 1st, 5-2, Plattsburgh State has found itself on a two-game skid with back-to-back losses against St. Lawrence University, 4-1, and Clarkson University, 2-1. Senior Cassidy Clavet led the scoring in the win vs. Keene State with two goals on a team-high four shots. Clavet is tied with Sarah Haight, a sophomore, for the team lead with two goals on the season; Haight scored once against Keene State – the game-winner – and once against St. Lawrence. Freshman Nicole Gibson has started all three games in goal, surrendering 2.67 goals per game with 13 saves and a 0.619 save percentage. In 2014, the Cardinals led the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) as the only team to average more than two goals per game at 2.11 and were one of two teams to surrender less than one per game on defense (0.89).

Scouting the Raptors
Bard is currently 2-0-1, but will host SUNY Potsdam on Saturday, September 12th before the Soaring Eagles visit Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, on Sunday, September 13th. The Raptors opened the season with a 9-0 blowout victory over SUNY Cobleskill. Three players finished with multi-goal games. In the Castleton State Tournament, Bard beat the host Spartans, 2-1, before tying UMass Boston, 1-1. Senior Isabel Keddy-Hector leads the offense with three goals and junior goalkeeper Kelsey O'Brien has made 12 saves en route to a 0.73 goals-against average. In 2014, the Raptors went 5-11-2, including 0-7-1 inside the Liberty League.

Looking Ahead
The Soaring Eagles travel north to finish a three-game road trip next weekend, beginning with a 4:00 p.m. contest on Friday, September 18th against Clarkson University. Less than 24 hours later, EC will take the nearly 20 drive down Route 11 to St. Lawrence University to take on the Saints on Saturday, September 19th at 12:00 p.m.