Score: SUNY Cortland 9, Elmira College 1
Records: Cortland (2-0), Elmira (0-2)
Location: Cortland, N.Y. - Stadium White Field

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The Elmira College field hockey team dropped a hard-fought contest to reigning SUNYAC finalist SUNY Cortland by a final score of 9-1 on the road Sunday afternoon.

The Red Dragons went on the offensive early and often on their home turf, building an insurmountable lead with five goals on 16 shots in the first half. The hosts would lead by nine late in the second half before EC found the back of the net.

Inside the final four minutes of regulation, Atu Machika '18 record the first goal on the young season for the Purple and Gold. The third-year midfielder from Machinga, Malawi, corralled a pass in front of the cage from classmate Sarah McCaffrey '18 and fired it home for her fourth career tally. The assist was McCaffrey's first of the season.

Elmira netminder Julie Hockenberger '18 found herself under siege for the majority of the game, but performed admirably in her first start of the year. The third-year goalie from Manlius, New York, registered 17 stops, finishing just one save shy of her single-game career high.

Inside the Box

• Cortland outshot Elmira 34-to-5.
• The hosts also held a 13-to-3 advantage in penalty corners.
• The Soaring Eagles finished the afternoon with 18 total saves, including one defensive save from Emily Selbert '20.
• Machika provided EC's only goal and led the offense with three shots, all of which were on target.
• McCaffrey earned the assist on Machika's tally.
• Hockenberger played all 70 minutes between the pipes and made 17 saves.
• Cortland's offense was fueled by a hat trick from Jessica Walsh.
• Kailynne Reinoehl started the contest in goal for the Red Dragons and earned the win with one save in 35:00 minutes.

News and Notes

• Elmira falls to 0-2 on the young 2016 season.
• Machika's goal was her first of the season and the fourth of her career.
• McCaffrey's assist is the third of her career, as she has picked up one in each of her three seasons with the Soaring Eagles.
• Hockberger's 17 saves are the most she's made in a game since her freshman year, where she denied 18 shots from against DeSales University on September 7, 2014.
• It marks her 11th career outing with double-digit saves.

Up Next
The Elmira College field hockey team will open Empire 8 Conference play with a visit to the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday, September 10th, at 10:00 a.m.