Elmira College Soaring Eagles (1-6, 1-0 E8) vs. Utica College (2-4-2, 0-1 E8)
Saturday, September 26, 2015 | 12:00 P.M. | Elmira, NY - Campus Field
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles

Elmira, NY -- Coming off of its first victory of the 2015 campaign, the Elmira College women's soccer team will continue play inside the Empire 8 Conference when it hosts Utica College on Saturday, September 26th, at 12:00 p.m.

The contest is the second conference matchup of the year for both the Soaring Eagles and visiting Pioneers. EC opened the league slate with a victory over St. John Fisher College at Campus Field on September 23rd, while Utica on the other hand fell to Hartwick College in its E8 opener on September 22nd.

Last Time Out
After suffering a six-game losing streak against non-conference opponents to open the season, the Soaring Eagles used a breakout performance to down St. John Fisher, 2-0, at home on Wednesday. With a seven-save effort from Gabe Carmona '18 solidifying the defense, the Purple and Gold received goals from Niki Lemper '17 and Jordyn Rousselle '18. Lemper struck first in the 37th minute. Her long free kick from the left side sailed over Fisher goalkeeper Sarah O'Brien and bounced safely into the far corner to put EC ahead, 1-0. Then in the 65th minute, Rousselle ripped a shot from approximately 25 yards out that ducked just beneath the cross bar to extend the advantage to two.

Coach Mallernee Earns First "W"
With the 2-0 victory over St. John Fisher, first-year head coach Kaitlyn Mallernee earned her first win as head coach of the Soaring Eagles. After the win, Mallernee said, "It feels absolutely amazing."

Offensive Outburst
Heading into the game against Fisher, the Soaring Eagles had scored only one goal in its six losses. The multi-goal game was the first for EC since defeating Utica, 4-0, on the road on November 1, 2014. Not only did the Purple and Gold manage to find the back of the net, but their 17 shot attempts and nine shots on goal were both season highs. It marked the first time in 2015 that EC finished with more shots than the opposition.

Clean Sheet
Carmona complemented EC's offensive effort against St. John Fisher with an outstanding performance in goal for the Soaring Eagles. The Cardinals tested her late as six of their nine second-half shots came in the final 5:01 and three of her saves were made in the final three minutes. Carmona enters the weekend ranked fourth in the Empire 8 in save percentage (.778) and saves per game (5.60).

Series History
Elmira has had the upper hand in the series against Utica over the last 15 seasons. The Soaring Eagles are 11-4 against the Pioneers since 2000. EC began the new millennium with a six-game win streak before Utica pieced together a four-game win streak of its own from 2006 to 2009. However, the Purple and Gold have dominated the series as of late, earning shutout wins over the Pioneers in each of the last five seasons. Over that span, EC has outscored Utica, 17-0, including a 4-0 victory in last year's regular-season finale.

Scouting the Pioneers
After opening the season with wins in two of its first three games, Utica has gone 0-3-2 over its last five. Most recently, the Pioneers dropped a 3-0 decision to SUNY Potsdam on September 19th and a 2-0 contest against Hartwick College in their E8 opener on September 22nd. Both of Utica's wins came in the SUNY Poly Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Hilbert College on September 4th and a 5-0 win over Medaille College on September 5th. Like the Soaring Eagles, the Pioneers are under the direction of a new bench boss, as Eileen Coyle was named the program's new head coach in August. Coyle's squad is led offensively by freshman Jenna Mazza with three goals and six points, while junior goalkeeper Jamie Enders has posted goals-against average of 1.73 and a .765 save percentage.

Up Next
Elmira College hits the road for four straight games to open the month of October, beginning with a 3:00 p.m. matchup against the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, October 3rd, at the De Baun Athletic Complex.