Score: Hartwick College 2, Elmira College 1
Records: Hartwick (9-3, 3-2 E8 ), Elmira (2-8, 0-4 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.

PINE VALLEY, NY -- It was a tale of two halves for the Elmira College field hockey team as it  yielded two second- half goals in a 2-1 loss to a tough Hartwick College team in Empire 8 Conference action on Saturday at the Murray Athletic Center.

The Soaring Eagles scored the first goal of the match in the ninth minute, when Atu Machika '18 would tip in a rocketed Julia Derco '17 pass off of a penalty corner.

The Soaring Eagles then amped up their defensive intensity to keep the lead for the rest of the half. The Purple and Gold held strong during a 10 minute offensive burst from the Hawks, in which Hartwick took five penalty corners and two shots. EC also used time of possession to keep the Hawks' offensive chances to a minimum for the last 10 minutes of the half.

The Soaring Eagles had a chance to extend the lead in the 48th minute when goalie Shannon Carter would make two quick successive saves. Hannah Keil '19 and Matilda Kennedy-Butler '19 each got off quick shots in front of the cage, but both were brushed away by Carter.

While the Purple and Gold were favoring a more defensive strategy to help keep the early lead, Hartwick came out of the halftime with a new offensive intensity. The Hawks got off four shots before they would finally get on the board.

The Hawks finally broke through the staunch EC defense in the 55th minute when senior defenseman Halle Mahoney scored her first goal of the season. Mahoney capitalized off of a loose ball in the front of the cage after a Purple and Gold block.

Elmira was back on its heels again less than four minutes later, when the Hawks continued their new offensive force. Lex Richards called for the ball at the top of the arc after the Purple and Gold lost possession of the ball out of the back of the field. Richards got the ball and quickly shuffled it into the top of the arc and scorched it past goalie Julie Hockenberger '18.

All of the momentum that the Soaring Eagles had coming into the half was gone and the Hawks were the fresher team. Hartwick used the fresh legs to keep possession for a majority for the last 12 minutes to help secure the victory over Elmira.

Turning Point
The Soaring Eagles used defensive pressure and time of possession to keep hold of a 1-0 for over 46 minutes of the match. That defensive intensity seemed to wane after the Hawks scored their first goal. With another goal less than four minutes later, Hartwick snatched all of the momentum that the Purple and Gold had for most of the match. With fresh legs the Hawks would steal the lead and not relinquish it.

Inside the Box Score

• Machika scored the lone goal for EC.
• After the first-half the shot total sat 5-to-3 in favor of Hartwick.
• By the end of the match Hartwick took a dominant lead in shots (16-to7).
• Katie Carroll '18 and Alison Mariano '18 led the Soaring Eagles in shots with two apiece.
• Hockenberger made five saves in the contest.
• Derco and Sarah McCaffrey '18 were credited with an assist on Machika's goal.
• Richards and Sarah Ryan led the Hawks with five and four shots, respectively.
• Richards also had one assist.

News and Notes

• Machika's goal was her fourth of the season, extending her single-season high.
• Machika moved into first place on the team in goals on the season.
• Machika has scored a goal in three straight matches. 
• Derco's assist was her first of the season.
• McCaffrey extends her team lead in assist to six.
• With five saves on the day, Hockenberger brings her season total saves up to 87.
• McCaffrey has gotten a goal or an assist in the last three matches. 

Up Next
The Purple and Gold will end their season-long four game home-stand when they host Stevens Institute of Technology to the Murray Athletic Center in their second game in as many days on Sunday, October 9th. The match is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.