ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's soccer team host No.5 Stevens Institute of Technology to Campus Field for Empire 8 Conference Action on Saturday, October 22nd, at 12:00 p.m.

Last Time Out: Elmira lost a tough matchup to Ithaca College on the road, 8-1. The Bombers came out of the gates firing, scoring five first half goals, four of them coming in the first 27 minutes of the contest. With this type of offensive aggression, the Purple and Gold were unable to mount a comeback.  The best offensive opportunity for Elmira came when Niki Lemper '17 buried a 35-yard shot over Ithaca's goalie and into the back of the net. Lemper's blast seemed to ignite the Soaring Eagles' offense, as the Purple and Gold posted three shots in the final six minutes of the match. Unfortunately for the Soaring Eagles, none of the shots found their way past the Ducks' goalkeeper.  
    
Lemper Scores: Tuesday's goal was Lemper's first since last season's finale against Alfred University. The Townsend, Delaware, native scored twice against the Saxons during a 5-1 Soaring Eagle win, the largest margin of victory for the Purple and Gold last year.
 
Tough Competition: The Soaring Eagles have had to face some tough competitors in recent weeks. Including Saturday's matchup, the Purple and Gold will have faced three of the top four programs in the Empire 8 Conference standings (Stevens, Ithaca & Houghton) in consecutive contest. The Ducks are especially tough as they are currently ranked at No. 5 in the country. Saturday's match will only be the second time that the Purple and Gold have squared off against a ranked team this season; the other was a road loss in the first week of the season to former No. 4 ranked William Smith College, who is currently ranked No. 1 nationally.

Buffalo Wild Wings Games of the Year: Saturday's match will mark the start of the partnership between Buffalo Wild Wings and EC. The contest has been designated as Buffalo Wild Wings Games of the Year for women's soccer. Buffalo Wild Wings will be at Campus Field with a promotional table where fans can enter a drawing for the chance to win a variety of prizes ranging from gift cards to apparel.

Scouting the Ducks: Stevens enters Saturday's matchup with an unblemished record of 13-0-0, and is ranked No. 5 in the country. The Ducks are also a perfect 6-0-0 in E8 play. Stevens' most recent contest was a win over Utica College on October 15th. The Ducks' balanced offensive approach has put multiple players on the Empire 8 statistical leaderboards. Four different Ducks own a place in the top ten in both points and goals. They are all led by reigning Empire 8 and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year Raba Nassif, who sits atop the conference in both points (37) and goals (15). Stevens has also recieved impressive performances out of junior goalkeeper Lindsey Mahnken. The Third-year goalkeeper leads the E8 in goals-against average (.259) and sits second in save percentage (.913).
 
Series History: Saturday's contest will mark the 10th meeting in the programs' short but contentious rivalry. The current record sits at 6-3-0 in favor of the Ducks. Stevens won last season's game 9-0 at home at the De Baun Athletic Complex. The Purple and Gold's last win in the series came in 2014, with a 3-1 victory on Campus Field. Sara Kazerouni '18 was Elmira's biggest contributor scoring two goals to help the Soaring Eagles clinch the victory.
 
Up Next: The Purple and Gold will play Alfred State College under the lights at the Murray Athletic Center on Tuesday, October 25th. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.