Elmira College (2-4, 1-2 Empire 8) at New England College (3-5, 0-2 North Atlantic Conference)
Sunday, April 3, 2016 | 3:00 p.m. | Henniker, NH - Don Melander Field
Live Coverage

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team will make a six-hour drive northeast to Henniker, NH, to take on New England College on Sunday, April 3, at 3:00 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles looked to blow out the visiting Houghton College Highlanders on March 29th, a sizable 11-3 advantage with over 19 minutes remaining in the Empire 8 Conference contest. Houghton, however, threatened late in the second half by closing the game with five unanswered goals to come within three. Fortunately for the Purple and Gold, another big outing from Moorea Spoljaric '16 early on was enough to build an insurmountable lead. The standout senior had a hand in EC's first eight goals, scoring six times and assisting on back-to-back scores from Marisa Carr '18. Lindsay Wargo '17 made her first start of the season and recorded 11 saves en route to the win.

Hughson Heating Up
Two-sport student-athlete Sarah Hughson '18 had to once again delay her debut on the field, as the sophomore was busy helping the Elmira women's ice hockey program earn a Third-Place Trophy at the NCAA Division III Tournament. In only three games with the lacrosse team, the East Haddam, CT, native has already netted a career-high three goals and four draw controls, and needs only four more ground balls to establish a personal record. Although she started the win over Houghton at attack, Hughson made her presence felt all over the field. Her first start of the 2016 campaign proved to be the best of her career, as she scored twice with six ground balls, three draws, and two caused turnovers.

There's No Place Like Home
Road trips have been less than favorable for the Soaring Eagles in recent seasons. Since going 6-3 on the road in the 2012 season, EC has only won five such games in the last four years. Additionally, the Purple and Gold dropped all nine away contests last season and have started the 2016 season with an 0-3 road record. A victory at New England College would mark the first win away from home since EC defeated Alfred University 16-5 on April 18, 2014.

All-Time Series
Sunday's matchup between the Soaring Eagles and the Pilgrims will mark the first-ever between the two program's. In fact, the only Empire 8 opponent New England – a member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) – has faced since the 2010 season was Utica College on March 21, 2014. The Pioneers prevailed 19-8 at NEC's Don Melander Field.

Scouting New England
The Pilgrims currently boast a 3-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark inside the NAC. After posting an impressive 16-0 shutout of Bay Path University on March 10th, NEC has lost three of their last four contests. New England cruised to a 19-2 victory over the University of Maine Farmington in the league opener on March 26th before falling 15-5 to Colby-Sawyer College on March 30th. Before hosting Elmira on Sunday, the Pilgrims will face NAC foe Thomas College on the road on Saturday. Juniors Allison Granata and Kasondra Moniz, and senior Gabriella Bigos have provided the offense with a three-headed scoring threat, as they have scored 17, 16, and 15 goals respectively. Moniz also leads the team with 11 assists and 27 points. Granata, a NAC All-Conference Second Teamer as a sophomore and Rookie of the Year as a freshman, has been effective in all phases of the game. She has registered 48 ground balls, 27 draw controls, and 19 caused turnovers, representing team highs across all three categories.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team will continue its brief two-game stretch of non-conference games with a trip to Keuka College on Wednesday, April 6th, at 4:00 p.m.