ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After falling in its first two games of the season, the Elmira College men's soccer team will look to snap the streak and put a check in the win column this Saturday, September 10th, when the Soaring Eagles travel to face the Hawks of Hilbert College. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. at Hilbert's Varsity Field in Hamburg, New York.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira dropped its most recent contest, a 3-0 setback on the road to Susquehanna University. The Soaring Eagles played the River Hawks even through the first 74 minutes, but Susquehanna would break the stalemate in the 75th minute, the first of three goals in an 8:22 span that sealed EC's second defeat of the year.   
 
LIESE IMPRESSES IN NET: With the departure of two senior goalkeepers from a season ago, there were concerns over who would step into the starting position in 2016. Those nerves have been put to rest thanks to the play of rookie netminder Jacob Liese '20. The frosh has been in tremendous form through the team's first two games and has amassed 10 saves in 180 minutes of action.
 
LAST TIME AT HILBERT: The last time Elmira faced Hilbert on the Hawks' home field was two years ago, when the two teams played to a 3-3 double-overtime tie. Elmira will be hoping for similar offensive production in this year's matchup, especially from upperclassman Donte Donegal '18, who recorded a hat-trick against the Hawks in 2014. 
 
SCOUTING HILBERT: Similar to the Soaring Eagles, the Hawks will be searching for their first victory this Saturday. Hilbert is 0-3-0 on the year with losses to Cazenovia, Wells, and most recently Keuka. Tyler Eister has the team's lone goal of the year, one that came against Wells in the 87th minute in a 4-1 loss. Defensively, Ryan Valentine has been a mainstay in net for the Hawks. Valentine has started in all three games this year and has 17 saves during that time.  
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: There have been nine all-time meetings between the two programs over the years, but Elmira has gotten the better of Hilbert during that time. The Soaring Eagles boast an 8-0-1 record against the Hawks and enter Saturday's contest with the most recent win in the series, a 3-1 win at Campus Field in 2015.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Soaring Eagles return to action on Wednesday, September 14th, when the team makes its home debut at Campus Field against Liberty League foe, RIT. Wednesday's contest is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.