ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After opening the 2016 season with four of the first six games on the road, the Elmira College field hockey team is set to kick-off a season-long four-game homestand at the MAC on Wednesday, September 28th, against Keuka College.

LAST TIME OUT: In Saturday's loss to Empire 8 Conference rival, St. John Fisher College, Julia Derco '17 extended her goal-scoring streak to two games, the first such streak of her career. In the 49th minute, Derco was awarded a penalty stroke, and the fourth-year defender netted her second goal of the season and the fifth of her career. On the other end of the field, Derco was also credited with a defensive save against the Cardinals, extending her team lead to seven.

DERCO SEALS THE VICTORY: Although she spends the majority of her time playing the backline for the Soaring Eagles, Derco has developed quite the scoring touch. After netting a trio of goals as a junior, the Hackettstown, New Jersey, product scored for the first time in 2016 with the game-winning goal against Wells on September 20th. It was the second time in her career that Derco tallied the game-winner, with her first coming in a 3-1 victory over Hartwick College on September 26, 2015.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR HOCKENBERGER: Third-year goalkeeper Julie Hockenberger '18 has enjoyed playing on her home field at the Murray Athletic Center this season. She boasts an outstanding 1.31 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage in starts against Oswego State and Houghton College, although both matchups ended in heartbreaking one-goal losses. While she did pick up her lone victory of the season away from the MAC, her road goals-against average sits nearly five-times higher at 6.25.

SERIES HISTORY: The history between Elmira and Keuka is brief, as the Wolves are in just their second season of NCAA Division III competition. The inaugural meeting between the two programs on September 8, 2015, proved to be favorable for the Soaring Eagles and Empire 8 All-Conference midfielder Atu Machika '18. Machika went on a tear that afternoon, scoring thrice to guide EC to a 3-0 victory. With one goal to her name already this year, look for another breakout performance from the Machinga, Malawi, native against the Wolves.

SCOUTING KEUKA: The Wolves will be looking to jumpstart their sophomore season today against Elmira, as Keuka enters the non-conference contest with an 0-6 overall record. While Keuka has tallied four times so far this year, the Wolves have surrendered no fewer than four goals in any of their games. EC is the fourth E8 institution to face-off against Keuka this year, as Hartwick College, Houghton College, and Utica College have all posted victories over the Wolves. Sophomore forward Alyssa Orsino has provided the bulk of the offense with three of her team's four goals, two of which came against Hartwick and Houghton. Fellow sophomore Elizabeth Sherman has seen the lion's share of minutes between the pipes. Sherman has started five of the six contests this year, and enters today's matchup with a 4.80 goals-against average and 76 saves.

LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira's homestand continues this weekend, when the Soaring Eagles battle SUNY Geneseo on Saturday, October 1st at the MAC. The non-conference tilt is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.