Score: Nazareth College 20, Elmira College 9
Records: Nazareth (9-5, 4-2 Empire 8), Elmira (4-7, 1-4 Empire 8)
Location: Campus Field - Elmira, NY

Elmira, NY -- Elmira College fourth-year midfielder Moorea Spoljaric '16 scored five times to tie the women's lacrosse program record for career goals, as the Soaring Eagles fell to Nazareth College 20-9 on Friday.

With 5:14 remaining in the second half, Spoljaric netted the record-tying goal with a nifty underhand shot. Hayley Baker '19 started with the ball at the top of the eight-meter arc on a free position restart and dished the ball to Spoljaric on the right side of the crease, who finished the play by shoveling the ball into the upper right corner.

That goal allowed Spoljaric to equal the all-time mark of 166 career goals, held by Katya Outwater '07. The senior captain has now scored a career-high 48 goals in 2016, tied for the fourth most in a single season in EC history.

Although the Golden Flyers held the lead throughout the entirety of the contest, the Soaring Eagles didn't allow the visitors to run away with the game until late in the second half. Elmira twice trailed by five in the second half. A free position score from Baker cut Naz's cushion down to 12-7 with approximately 19 minutes left on the clock.

Naz's Haley DeVona, however, sparked a game-ending 8-2 run with the fourth of her game-high seven tallies only 29 seconds later. Up 15-9 following back-to-back goals from Spoljaric, DeVona helped the Golden Flyers score five times in the final 3:40 to turn the Empire 8 Conference tilt into a blowout victory.

Turning Point
Although the Golden Flyers outshot the Soaring Eagles by a wide 57-to-22 margin, goalie Lindsay Wargo '17 turned in a strong performance to keep EC within reach, especially in the first half. Wargo made 12 saves in the opening 30 minutes, but maintaining possession after the stop was a problem for the Soaring Eagles. Elmira coughed the ball up 14 times and successfully converted only 8-of-17 clears in the first half, which denied the offense a plethora of potential scoring opportunities on the other end of the field.

Inside the Box

• Nazareth outshot Elmira 31-to-10 in the second half and 57-to-22 overall.
• The Golden Flyers also dominated the draw, winning 22-of-30 draw controls.
• Elmira picked up 29 ground balls, while Naz scooped up 31.
• The Soaring Eagles turned the ball over 25 times; Naz did so on 18 occasions.
• Scoring on the free position was a bright spot for the Elmira offense, as the Soaring Eagles were a perfect 4-for-4 on free position shots. Nazareth took 10 free position shots and scored thrice.
• Spoljaric led the EC offense with five goals and six points.
• She also won six of the team's eight draw controls.
• Baker scored two goals with two helpers.
• Kyra McDonald '18 added two points with one goal and one assist.
• Laura Powell '16 and Kelcey Crawford '18 each caused two turnovers.
• Wargo made a total of 17 saves in goal.
• The DeVona sisters – Haley and Nicole – combined to score 10 goals and 11 points for Nazareth.
• Kate Rothrock finished with a game-high four assists.
• Brianna Rizzari made two saves and allowed five goals in the first half to earn the win.
• Mackenzie Corbett surrendered four goals and stopped four shots in 30 minutes of relief.

News and Notes

• Spoljaric has scored at least one goal in 28 straight games.
• Her five goals boosted her career total to 166, tying the EC women's lacrosse record, held by Katya Outwater '07. Her next goal with give her sole possession of first place all-time.
• The Saugerties, NY, native upped her career point total to 195. She needs 15 more to tie Outwater for the all-time points record.
• Spoljaric also moved into fifth-place in career draw controls with 132.
• Baker extended her goal-scoring streak to five consecutive games.
• Wargo's 17 saves represent a single-game career high for the third-year netminder.

Up Next
Spoljaric will look to take sole possession of the all-time goal scoring record when the Soaring Eagles hit the road on Sunday, April 24th, to take on Alfred University in Empire 8 action at 1:00 p.m.