Score: Elmira College 6, Wells College 3
Records: Elmira (2-10), Wells (2-11)
Location: Murray Athletic Center -- Pine Valley, N.Y.
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- Seniors
Katie Carroll '18 and
Alison Mariano '18 fueled an offensive explosion that guided the Elmira College field hockey team to a 6-3 non-conference win over Wells College on Tuesday afternoon at the Murray Athletic Center.
EC's six goals are not only a season high, but are the most scored by the Soaring Eagles in a single game since the Purple and Gold racked up a program-record 14 in a 14-2 blowout of Cedar Crest College on October 21, 2013. Leading the charge were Carroll and Mariano, as the classmates each tallied two goals on a combined 12 shots.
Mariano was responsible for both of Elmira's first-half goals, the first of which came just 3:04 into the opening half.
Janie Kempf '21 recorded her first career assist by feeding the ball to Mariano, who was camped on the left side of the cage. The Walpole, Massachusetts, native was then able to beat both goalie Allison Solomon and a Wells defender to the lower left corner.
Although the Express were able to level the score in the 23rd minute, Mariano put EC back on top with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. Solomon made a sprawling stop to deny the 5-foot-2-inch forward on her first attempt, but Mariano was able to gather her own rebound and fire the ball past the off-balance goalie.
EC opened the second half with three unanswered goals to extend its lead to 5-1, the team's largest of the game. Carroll recorded two of those three tallies, with her first goal of the 2017 season coming just 2:36 into the second half. She sandwiched another around a rocket off the stick of
Emily Selbert '20. Off a penalty corner entry, Selbert and Mariano perfectly executed a give-and-go, which set the sophomore up wide open inside the scoring arc. Selbert one-timed the ball over the outstretched arms of the Wells goalie with a blast from approximately 10 yards out.
Not to be outdone, the Express received two late goals, which reduced Elmira's lead down to 5-3. Chloe Marcus netted both of Wells' second-half goals, including a tip-in off a feed from Kate Wells with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. However,
Atu Machika '18 dashed any hopes of a last-minute comeback inside the final two minutes, as the senior returned her own rebound past Solomon to reach the final score.
In the cage for the Soaring Eagles, second-year keeper
Tina O'Donnell '20 earned the first win of her collegiate career by making eight saves while playing 64:36 between the posts.
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach
Lauren Silva on Tuesday afternoon's victory over Wells…
"We've had a tough stretch of games recently, so it's rewarding to see our hard work finally pay off on the scoreboard."
Coach Silva on Elmira's offensive outburst…
"I am not only proud of the multiple scorers, but of the team effort we put forth to capitalize six times. Although the last couple of weeks have been challenging, I think today proves that we've been steadily improving and learning from our losses."
Coach Silva when asked about utilizing the final two games of the homestand to build momentum late in the season…
"They are both big games, but we love being at home. I know the team is dedicated to working hard for the remainder of the season."
News and Notes
- Elmira improved its overall record to 2-10 this season.
- The victory over Wells was EC's first at home in 2017.
- The Soaring Eagles lead the Express 12-1-1 in the all-time series and remain unbeaten when playing the Express at home (5-0-1).
- Six goals are the most scored by Elmira in a single game since the Soaring Eagles established a program-record in a 14-2 blowout of Cedar Crest College on October 21, 2013.
- Carroll tied her career high with two goals and four points.
- Mariano set a new single-game career high with five points.
- Machika tied her season high with three points.
- Selbert's goal was her third of the season.
- Kempf picked up her first career assist and remains the team's scoring leader with 13 points in her freshman season.
- O'Donnell secured her first career win between the posts.
Up Next
The EC field hockey team will continue its season-long homestand on Saturday, October 14, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Empire 8 Conference foe Utica College to the MAC for a 1:00 p.m. bout.
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