Elmira College (4-7, 1-5 Empire 8) vs. No. 2 Ithaca College (14-1, 6-0 Empire 8)
Wednesday, April 27, 2016 | 4:00 p.m. | Campus Field - Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team welcomes No. 2 Ithaca College to Campus Field on Wednesday, April 27th, at 4:00 p.m., for an Empire 8 Conference matchup in the Soaring Eagles' 2016 regular season home finale.

Last Time Out
Elmira made the trek to the Garden State last Saturday, April 23rd, to face the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology. The Soaring Eagles ended up on the wrong end of a 22-3 final, as the Elmira men fell to 4-7 on the year. Stevens jumped out to 9-0 lead in the first nine minutes of the first quarter, which was followed by three consecutive Soaring Eagle goals to trim the Ducks' lead to six. However, Stevens would step things up on the defensive side of the ball to claim its 13th victory of the season.
 
Career High for Pradelski
Skyler Pradelski '16 has enjoyed his most productive season with the Purple and Gold, posting career numbers in goals and points. His 24 tallies this year eclipsed his previous high by 10 goals, while his 25 points are six higher than last season's high of 19. Pradelski is also riding a 10-game scoring streak, the longest of his career. He netted a career-high five goals twice in that span, the latter in the 15-4 drubbing of Alfred State College on April 2nd.
 
Position Changes Paying Off
The decision made by head coach Preston Chapman to move former starting goalie Wyatt Katsos '17 to the attack unit and start Cameron Prior '17 between the pipes on a full-time basis has paid dividends. Katsos has made starts in nine of EC's 11 games this season and ranks fourth on the squad with 10 goals scored. On the other end of the field, Prior has been the backbone for the Elmira defense. He earned the starting nod after making a program-record 38 saves against Stevens Institute of Technology in 2015 and hasn't disappointed this season. He leads the E8 and is sixth in the nation with 16.27 saves per game.

All-Time Series
Elmira and Ithaca have met 19 times since 1994. Ithaca College has controlled the all-time series, winning 18 of those 19 matchups. EC's last win against the Bombers dates back to 2000, when the Purple and Gold edged Ithaca by a 12-11 final at Campus Field.
 
Scouting Ithaca
Riding high on a 12-game winning streak, the Bombers of Ithaca College enter today's contest as the No. 2 nationally-ranked team according the latest USILA poll. Ithaca is 14-1 on the year and boasts a flawless 6-0 record in Empire 8 play, as the Bombers sit atop the conference standings. Credit the majority of Ithaca's success this season to its high-octane attack, which ranks first in all of Division III Men's Lacrosse with a 17.33 goals per game average. Leading the charge offensively has been sophomore standout Jake Cotton, who paces the Ithaca attack with a team-leading 72 points on 30 goals and a team-high 42 assists. Cotton ranks fifth in the country in assists per contests with a 3.5 average. Jack Shumway is the team's leading goal scorer with 37 tallies; he enters this afternoon's contest having scored four or more goals in five of Ithaca's last six games. Steven Landspurg and Grant Osadchey have split faceoff responsibilities, and as a collective group have helped Ithaca win just under 60-percent of its faceoff attempts. Scott Sidnam is Ithaca's go-to guy between the pipes, as the junior netminder owns a 13-1 record with a conference-leading 4.32 goals against average.
 
Looking Ahead
The Soaring Eagles conclude the 2016 campaign on the road this Saturday, April 30th, with an Empire 8 showdown against the Pioneers of Utica College. Saturday's E8 bout it slated for 1:00 p.m.