ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Although the non-conference portion of the schedule did not begin favorably for the Soaring Eagles, the Elmira College women's soccer team will have a chance to reignite the 2016 campaign in its Empire 8 Conference opener at Utica College on Saturday, September 24th, at 6:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: EC began its season-long three-game road trip with a 2-1 loss to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in non-conference action on Wednesday. The Soaring Eagles fell behind in the 10th minute, but Sara Kazerouni '18 fed Jordyn Rousselle '18 with a forward pass over the top of the Pitt-Bradford defense and the third-year midfielder beat Panthers goalie, Sarah Dailey, one-on-one to draw the game even. The Panthers netted the go-ahead tally in the 61st minute off of the foot of Jasmine Adams. EC's offense had chances to tie the game, but shots from Amy Sullivan '18 and Lindsay Proulx '18 sailed over the crossbar, and another from Kazerouni was saved by Dailey in the 66th minute.

ROUSSELLE HEATING UP: Rousselle entered the 2016 season with high expectations after picking up E8 All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades thanks to a team-leading 11 points and five goals as a sophomore. After being limited to only three shots in EC's first three contests, Rousselle appears to be finding her stride, as she enters the conference opener on a two-game goal scoring streak and a three-game point streak. Additionally, the 5 foot 6 inch midfielder has nearly tripled her shot attempts with eight over her last three outings. Considering that, in last year's matchup with Utica, Rousselle registered season highs with two goals and five points, there's no better time than now for her to heat up.

ALL-TIME SERIES: It's safe to say that the Purple and Gold have held a firm grasp on the all-time series with the Pioneers over the last 30 years. Since their first meeting in 1986, the Soaring Eagles are 22-8 against the Pioneers. That stretch includes a 13-game win streak spanning 1993 to 2005 and an active six-game win streak that began in 2010. Not only has Elmira won its last six meetings with Utica, but the Soaring Eagles have outscored its conference foe by a whopping 20-1 in those victories. The lone goal tallied by Utica in last season's 3-1 EC win marks the only goal scored by the Pioneers on an Elmira keeper since 2010. On the other hand, Elmira senior goalie Amanda Banner '17 recorded two of her six career clean sheets against Utica in 2013 and 2014.

SCOUTING UTICA: The Pioneers enter the Saturday soiree against EC winless in seven games, including an 0-1 mark inside the Empire 8 after dropping a 4-0 decision to St. John Fisher College on September 17th. Like Elmira, Utica has struggled to find production on the offensive end, resulting in four shutout losses. Last time out, the Pioneers were blanked, 1-0, by non-conference opponent Hamilton College. Five Pioneers have scored once so far this year, including sophomore Jenna Mazza, who led her team with five goals as a rookie. Freshman Allison Wagner has seen the most minutes between the pipes, and sports a 3.75 goals-against average and 46 saves in 360:00 minutes. Despite taking the loss against Hamilton, Wagner turned in the best performance by any of the UC keepers this season, making 11 saves and surrendering just one goal while playing the full 90 minutes.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Elmira women will conclude their three-game road trip when the Soaring Eagles trek to Alfred, New York, for a bout against the Saxons of Alfred University on Saturday, October 1st. The Empire 8 tilt is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start.