Score: Elmira College 13, Alfred University 7
Records: Elmira (5-7, 2-4 Empire 8), Alfred (2-15, 0-8 Empire 8)
Location: Yunevich Stadium at Merrill Field - Alfred, NY

Alfred, NY -- It was a historic afternoon for the Elmira College women's lacrosse team, as senior Moorea Spoljaric '16 scored five times to become the program's all-time leader in career goals in a 13-7 victory over Alfred University.

The senior captain continued her torrent scoring pace with her third consecutive five-goal performance, but it was her first that gave her sole possession of first place in the record books. Spoljaric received the ball as she streaked down the left-wing side, cut from left-to-right through the eight-meter arc and beat Alfred goalie Shannon Gray far-side to tie the game at 2-all midway through the first half.

Spoljaric struck again with five-and-a-half minutes left in the half, gunning a free position shot into the lower left corner of the net to give Elmira the lead for good at 5-4. She then fed Kyra McDonald '18 on a one-timer with 1:35 to go in the period, giving the Purple and Gold a two-goal cushion at the break.

While the day belonged to Spoljaric, it was the play of first-year attacker Hayley Baker '19 that sparked the second-half surge which gave EC a comfortable lead. Baker opened scoring in the second half with a natural hat trick, including a crafty left-handed shot that bounced underneath Gray's stick. The freshman tied her season best with four goals on the afternoon.

Spoljaric tacked on back-to-back tallies to stretch the run to 7-0, giving Elmira its largest lead of the game at 11-4. After the Saxons scored three unanswered in a span of 1:11, Spoljaric and Kelcey Crawford '18 each added a free position goal late in the half. Crawford's goal, her first of the season, came with only seven seconds left on the clock.

In Their Own Words
Head coach Alexa Tardif on Moorea Spoljaric's milestone accomplishment...
"I am incredibly proud of Moorea. She has worked very hard to reach this point in her career. It's an impressive and well-deserved achievement."

Coach Tardif on Hayley Baker's growth in her debut season...
"She's really blossomed this year. Her field sense and decision-making has improved with each game. Today, she held her composure, worked well with her teammates, and had great shot placement."

Coach Tardif on starting the tough season-ending stretch with an Empire 8 Conference win on the road...
"It feels great. I am very proud of the whole team's performance today. We don't have much time to relax until we face Hartwick and I hope to carry over our momentum into tomorrow's game."

Turning Point
Although Elmira led by two at the start of the second half, it was the natural hat trick from Baker that allowed the Soaring Eagles to put the game out of reach. Baker, who has come into her own as a scoring option for EC in her rookie season, deflated the Alfred bench and swung all momentum in Elmira's favor with her second-half spark. More importantly, she put EC ahead by an insurmountable 9-4 margin with her three straight scores.

Inside the Box

• Elmira outshot Alfred 31-to-24 overall.
• The Saxons finished with a 32-to-25 advantage in ground balls.
• Both teams secured 11 draw controls.
• EC scored three times on nine free position shots, while Alfred converted 2-of-5 such attempts.
• Spoljaric paced Elmira with five goals and two assists.
• Baker scored four times and added one assist for five points.
• McDonald scored two goals.
• Marisa Carr '18 tallied one goal with one assist for two points.
• Ali Barber '16 picked up a team-high six ground balls.
• Laura Powell '16 caused six turnovers and collected four ground balls.
• Sarah Hughson '18 registered one assist to go along with four caused turnovers, two draw controls, and two ground balls.
• Lindsay Wargo '17 saved eight shots in goal.
• Megan Wendt scored twice for Alfred, while Tracy Johnson earned two points with one goal and one assist.
• Miranda Gilbert filled out the stat sheet nicely with one goal, three caused turnovers, six ground balls, and a game-high eight draw controls.
• Gray surrendered 13 goals and made 11 saves for the Saxons.

News and Notes

• Spoljaric's first goal broke the two-way tie with Katya Outwater '07 for first place in career goals. With five against the Saxons, she now has 171 in her career.
• Spoljaric upped her career points total to 202, making her only the second player in team history to reach the 200-point mark. She is eight points back of the all-time record, held by Outwater with 210 points.
• The fourth-year talent is tied with Meghan Pass '12 for the second-most points in a season with 62 and needs three more to equal Outwater's single-season program record (65). Additionally, Spoljaric's 53 goals on the season are the second-most and only three shy of Outwater's record (56).
• The Saugerties, NY, native has scored at least one goal in 29 straight games.
• Baker has scored at least one goal in six consecutive contests, while her four tallies against Alfred tied her season best.
• Crawford's goal was the first of her career.
• Powell's six caused turnovers mark a new career high.
• Wargo improved her season record to 4-3 in goal for EC. Her four victories are tied for the sixth most in a season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles don't have much time to rest, as the Elmira College women's lacrosse team hosts Hartwick College in Empire 8 Conference action at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 25th.