Score: Elmira College 3, Alfred State College 0
Records: Elmira College (2-4-1), Alfred State (2-5-0)
Location: Campus Field | Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- Things are looking up for the Elmira College men's soccer team, as the Soaring Eagles earned another good result today, a 3-0 shutout win against visiting Alfred State College.  Elmira used a sizable advantage in shots today to earn the win, outshooting the Pioneers 25-to-5.
 
Fourth-year midfielder, Chris Aristizabal '16, got things going early for the Soaring Eagles in the first half by scoring the game's opening goal in the 9th minute.  Kurt Bartholomew '18 setup the scoring play by sending a long pass through several defenders, finding Aristizabal inside the 18 yard box. From there, Aristizabal took a few touches before tucking the ball past the Pioneer goalie near-post for the score. 
 
Alfred State nearly evened things up in the 22nd minute, when Antonio Fleming received a through-ball from about 20 yards out, putting him in a one-on-one situation with EC netminder Austin Mansell '16.  Thankfully for Elmira, Fleming's run was a little too early, as he was called for offside, which neutralized the Alfred State threat.
 
Elmira continued to put the pressure on the Pioneers, which almost paid off in the 33rd minute, when Aidan Gray '19 found himself eight yards away from the net with the ball.  Gray received a pass from Ryan Bertsch '16 in the box but Gray seemed to rush the shot a bit, pushing it just wide, as the game remained 1-0.
 
However, Elmira's persistence paid off in the 42nd minute, as Ronaldo Charlton '18 knocked-in his first goal of the season.  Charlton's goal was setup on a corner kick cross from John Broyles '19, who sent the ball in the mixer, finding Charlton on the near-post, allowing the Queens Village, NY native to flick the ball into the back of the net for the score.
 
With a 2-0 lead, Elmira aggressively searched for another score.  It looked as though Donte Donegal '18 was going to put the Soaring Eagles up by three, as he found himself in a one-on-one with Alfred State goalie, Kenneth Allport.  Donegal tried to beat Allport with a shot in the right corner but the Pioneer netminder would come up big with the save to keep it a two-goal game.
 
A little over three minutes later, Aristizabal almost scored his second of the evening, as his free kick from 20 yards out ricocheted off Alfred State's wall and nearly found the upper right corner of the goal.
 
Another close call came in the 69th minute, when newcomer John Hackney '19 sent a beautiful cross from the left side of the field into the goal box.  Hackney's cross made its way to the far post and found Donegal.  Unfortunately, Donegal was unable to get the shot on frame, as his attempt sailed wide.
 
The Soaring Eagles would however breakthrough in the 77th minute, as rookie defender, Colin Morrison '19, scored the first collegiate goal of his career.  On a corner kick, Tony Barraco '18 sent a high ball into the mixer but his feed would find grass before feet and bounce over a handful of players. The feed took one hop in the middle of the box before Morrison took to the air and buried the header top-shelf for the score.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Keith Moore on his team's performance…
"It was good to see some other guys step up offensively and get some goals, points, and assists. We are going to need that throughout the season. Today was another day that our guys came out and did their jobs."
 
Coach Moore on his defense's performance…
"I am so proud of our back line, which is anchored by two freshmen; one who had a goal today. We told him [Morrison] to step up and put one in the net today and he did. For me, Colin has been key throughout the season and someone we rely on because he doesn't play like a freshmen. I am really proud of our back line and Austin as well. He had a clean sheet, job well done. He wasn't tested a whole lot but when he was asked to step up, he did, our entire back line did."
 
Coach Moore on his how his midfield helped produce 20-plus opportunities…
"The midfield did a good job controlling the tempo today. Those guys really pulled the strings today and they got themselves into the attack as well." 
 
Turning Point
Today's turning point seemed to occur midway through the first half, specifically around the 25-minute mark.  Up until that point, the shot count was at 5-4 in favor of Elmira.  From that point on, Elmira locked-down Alfred's offense, as they held the Pioneers to just one shot over the final 64 minutes of play.  In fact, Elmira held the Pioneers without a shot for 50 consecutive minutes.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira had ample opportunities to score this afternoon, as they outshot the Pioneers, 25-to-5.
• The Soaring Eagle defense held Alfred State to just one shot on goal.
• Elmira put seven of their 25 shots on frame.
• EC also held a favorable 9-to-3 lead in corner kicks, including a 4-0 advantage in the first half.
• Two of Elmira's goals were scored on corner kicks.
• Three different players tallied goals for the Purple and Gold and three different players registered assists.
• Mansell only had to make one save to earn the shutout victory.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira's 25 shots are a season-high and the most since a 2013 matchup against Pitt-Bradford, when the Soaring Eagles launched 35.
• All three goal scorers, Aristizabal, Charlton, and Morrison, all scored their first goals of the season.
• Morrison's goal is the first of his collegiate career.
• Barraco's assist ups his season total to three, which is a team-high.
• Broyles now has two assists on the season, both coming in EC wins.
• Bartholomew's helper is the first of his Elmira career.
• Mansell's shutout victory is his first of the season and first since last year's 2-0 win against SUNY Poly.
• Mansell's clean sheet is the second of his Elmira career.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look for their second straight win this weekend, when the Soaring Eagles host Empire 8 Conference foe, Alfred University, on Saturday, September 26th.  Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at EC's Campus Field.