ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's soccer team resumes its fall schedule this weekend at the Mount Saint Mary College Tournament in Newburgh, New York. Elmira opens the tournament with a Friday, September 9th, meeting with Montclair State at 7:00 p.m. under the lights at MSMC's home pitch at Kaplan Field. Those unable to make it to the games can follow along with
live stats, courtesy of Mount Saint Mary.
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira dropped to 0-2 on the season, after suffering a 4-0 setback at home to the University of Mary Washington. The Eagles of Mary Washington set the tone early with three first-half goals, including two that occurred within a 9:18 stretch. EC tightened things up defensively in the second stanza, but the Eagles would strike again for their fourth goal in the opening 13 minutes of the half to seal the victory.
CAREER HIGH FOR BANNER: Senior goalkeeper
Amanda Banner '17 has been tested quite frequently through the team's first two games. She has amassed 21 saves during that time, including a 12-save effort against Mary Washington this past Sunday. Banner's 12 saves tied her career high, which she set during the 2014 season against SUNY Geneseo. It also marked the fifth double-digit save performance of her collegiate career.
SCOUTING MONTCLAIR: Of the four teams at the Mount Saint Mary Tournament, the Red Hawks are the only team with a winning record. Montclair State is 2-0-1 on the year with wins over Union (N.Y.) and Brooklyn, while also earning a draw with Rochester (N.Y.). Emily Beenders leads the team with four points on a pair of goals, both coming in Montclair's six-goal win over Brooklyn. Defensively, Alyson Burns has seen the majority of minutes in net with two starts, seven saves, and a 1-0-1 record. Montclair has yet to concede a goal this season.
SCOUTING MOUNT SAINT MARY: Mount Saint Mary will be searching for its first win, as the Knights play in their first two home games of the season this weekend. The Knights dropped a pair of one-goal decisions to RIT and Nazareth to open the year, before suffering a 7-0 setback to 14th-ranked Stevens. The team's starting goalkeeper, Mary Riley, has been in good form to start the year and has 22 saves to her name to go along with a .710 save percentage.
SCOUTING NEW PALTZ: After dropping its first three matches of the year, SUNY New Paltz put its first checkmark in the win column this past Wednesday with a 1-0 road victory over Ramapo. Daneille Grossi scored the team's lone goal of the season in the win, while rookie netminder Angela Ratka picked up her first collegiate win in the team's victory. Ratka is 1-3-0 on the year with 18 saves and a 2.29 goals-against average. Prior to its win over the Roadrunners, New Paltz had been held scoreless and surrendered on average 3.0 goals per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Friday's matchup with the Red Hawks will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs. Saturday's championship/consolation game will take place against either Mount Saint Mary or SUNY New Paltz. If Elmira plays Mount Saint Mary, it will also be the first all-time meeting, while a matchup against New Paltz will be the third meeting (1-1-0) in the all-time series.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following this weekend's tournament, Elmira will enjoy a week off of competition before hosting SUNY Potsdam in a non-conference game on Saturday, September 17th. The game against the Bears is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. on EC's home pitch at Campus Field.
