Elmira College (0-0, 0-0 Empire 8) vs. Lycoming College (4-0, 0-0 MAC Commonwealth)
Sunday, March 13, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. | Corning Community College - Corning, NY
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Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team will open the 2016 season at home against Lycoming College on Sunday, March 13th, at 1:00 p.m.

Season Openers
Since 2003, the Soaring Eagles have a 5-8 record in season openers. Recent history has been a little kinder to EC, as the Elmira women are 3-2 in their last five such games. While EC dropped the first game of 2015 to the Warriors, 18-11, Elmira was able to pick up an 11-9 win in the 2014 opener against Lycoming.

Leading the Way
Senior attacker Moorea Spoljaric '16 is Elmira's leading returning scorer from the 2015 campaign, when she scored 42 goals with 14 assists for 56 points. As a junior, she ranked sixth in the Empire 8 Conference in goals scored and seven in points. In addition, she paced the Soaring Eagles with 43 draw controls. Without fellow 40-goal scorer Ashton Hogan '15, Spoljaric will be leaned upon to carry the load on the offensive end in her senior campaign. The Saugerties, NY, native has seen her fair share of success against Lycoming over the past two seasons. She scored four times in the 2014 season opener – an 11-9 victory over the Warriors – and tied her career high with six goals in last year's season-opening loss to Lycoming.

Fab Freshmen
The 2016 edition of the Soaring Eagles features a trio of freshmen on the roster, one each at attack, midfield, and defense. On the offensive end, 5-foot-9 attacker Hayley Baker '19 will be looked to as an immediate scoring option alongside Spoljaric and fellow returners Marisa Carr '18 and Kylie Connell '17. Manning the midfield will be first-year student-athlete Matilda Kennedy-Butler '19, who made her EC debut with the field hockey team in the fall. Finally, freshman Macy Huntley '19 will be a key cog on the backend and will be asked to help shore up the defensive unit.

Series History vs. Lycoming
Since 2000, the Warriors hold a 5-2 advantage over the Soaring Eagles in the series. However, EC has won two of the last three contests between the two programs. In addition to the 2014 season-opening win, EC defeated Lycoming 15-8 on March 24, 2012.

Scouting Lycoming
Like the Soaring Eagles, the Warriors entered the 2016 season with a fresh face at the helm, as former Buffalo State standout Karen Shaddock takes the reigns at Lycoming. As a player, Shaddock graduated from Buffalo State with 457 career points – the second-highest total in NCAA Division III history – and was a two-time All-American. Last season, the Warriors finished with a 10-6 mark, but were a mere 2-6 inside the Middle Atlantic Commonwealth Conference. The Warriors' offense is flying high through the first four games of 2016. En route to a 4-0 start, Lycoming is averaging just over 19 goals per game. Senior Meghenn Jackson has scored no fewer than five goals in a game so far and leads the team with 25 goals and 36 points. Sophomore Jordan Lazarich recorded a season-high 11 points with six goals and five assists on March 8th vs. Hiram College. Lazarich leads the team with 12 helpers and is secons with 29 points. She is also a force off the draw, having won 22 draw controls. Junior Nicole Gerling has started all four games in goal for the Warriors, and has posted a 5.67 goals-against average and .514 save percentage.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will hit the road on Tuesday, March 15th, to take on the University of Rochester at 4:00 p.m. in non-conference play.