ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team will look to take down the Pioneers of Utica College on Saturday, September 17th, in the Soaring Eagles' Empire 8 Conference opener. The conference clash is scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. kick-off.

LAST TIME OUT: Elmira played in its home opener this past Wednesday, as the Soaring Eagles welcomed the Tigers of RIT to Campus Field for a non-conference matchup. Despite 29 shots attempts between the two squads, 16 for RIT and 13 for Elmira, neither team was able to find the back of the net, resulting in a 0-0 double-overtime draw. Jacob Liese '20 started in goal for Elmira and came up with three saves in 79:52, while Haruka Okamoto '18 made two stops in 30:08 of action. 

CONFERENCE OPENER: Dating back to the 1999 season, Elmira is 7-9-1 in conference-opening games. The Soaring Eagles have fared much better in recent history, going 4-1-1 in their last six E8 openers, including last season's 1-1 double-overtime draw with conference power, Stevens Institute of Technology. Elmira has opened its conference schedule against Utica three times since 1999 and owns a 2-1-0 record in those meetings. 

HOME SWEET HOME: Elmira has enjoyed a good amount of success over the years playing on its home pitch at Campus Field. Last season the Soaring Eagles went 5-2-2 at home and ended the 2015 campaign on a seven-match unbeaten streak. Elmira extended its run of form in the 2016 opener with a double-overtime tie with RIT, which brought EC's home unbeaten streak to eight games. The eight-game unbeaten streak is the team's longest stretch since October 19, 2010, when the Soaring Eagles downed SUNY Poly at home, 1-0, to solidify their ninth consecutive home game without a defeat. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: Utica enters Saturday's conference opener with a 1-4-0 record on the young season. The Pioneers' lone win of the year came against Baruch College last Sunday, a game that saw Utica tally four times in a 4-2 victory at UC's Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Of Utica's four losses, three have occurred on the road with two of those coming in shutout fashion. Bita Gazashvili leads the Pioneers with five points on a pair of goals and one assist. Gazashvili enters the weekend riding high on a two-game goal streak. Defensively, Matthew Milograno has been Utica's first choice in net. In five starts, Milograno has made 30 saves and boasts a 2.69 goals-against average. 

SERIES HISTORY: Elmira and Utica have played their fair share of matches over the years, 22 games to be exact. The Soaring Eagles have gotten the better of the Pioneers in that time with a 14-8-0 all-time record. Elmira also has the most recent win in the series as well, a 4-2 victory over Utica in early October of last season. 

UP NEXT: The Soaring Eagles are back in action this Tuesday, September 20th, when Elmira travels to Poughkeepsie, New York, to face Liberty League foe, Vassar College. Tuesday's contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.