ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team will hosts the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College for an Empire 8 Conference bout on Saturday, October 21, at 3:00 p.m. at Campus Field. The league contest will serve as EC's Class of 2018 Recognition Day.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles suffered a 1-0 setback at the hands of the University of Scranton on Tuesday. A 45th minute goal by the Royals was the difference in what was a very hard-fought matchup. In his third collegiate start, freshman goalkeeper
Jacob Mattice '21 recorded five saves, one off of the season-high six stops that he recorded against Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, October 14. Scranton's stingy defense smothered Elmira's offensive attack, as EC was outshot, 11-to-1. The lone shot by the Soaring Eagles came off of the foot of
Donte Donegal '18, but was ultimately blocked on its way to the net.
FRESHMEN LEADERS
Elmira has seen a dramatic infusion of freshman student-athletes during the 2017 campaign. In total, all 10 of EC's rookies have seen playing time this year and a few of them have made major contributions.
Levi Ahl '21 (1,060:00) and
Cameron Sanderson '21 (1,053:00) have seen the most playing time amongst the freshman, as they rank second and third on the team in minutes played, respectively. Mattice has started the last three games for the Soaring Eagles and has played well in his expanded role.
Michael Courtney '21 is tied for third on EC with two points on one goal.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
After dropping its most recent Empire 8 Conference contest to Nazareth College, 1-0, on Saturday, October 14, St. John Fisher's record stands at 7-4-3 overall and 2-3-0 in E8 play. The Cardinals have played their best soccer this season at home at Growney Stadium, where they have gone 4-2-0. Despite its dominance at home, Fisher's road record sits at 1-2-2, with its lone road victory this season coming in a 5-2 defeat of Houghton College. The Cardinals have been one of the best offenses in the conference, as they are tied for second with Nazareth in goals per game (2.00). Leading Fisher's offensive attack is the duo of Justin Ferron and Bryan Rollins, who are in a five-way for third on the league leaderboard in goals (5). Rollins also paces the team in points (13) and is tied for second in assists (3). Junior defender Dallas Kaiser paces the Cardinals with four assists. In goal, junior Joe Catalfamo has started all but one game for Fisher and has recorded 59 saves, a 0.787 save percentage and a 1.16 goals-against average, the third lowest in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between these two feathered foes is a storied one that has encompassed 33 previous meetings. In those matchups, Fisher holds a 13-17-3 advantage over Elmira. Last season, the Soaring Eagles dropped a hard-fought contest to the Cardinals, 1-0, at Growney Stadium. EC last bested Fisher in the 2015 campaign, when a
Kyle Beekman '18 goal sealed a 1-0 victory for Elmira at Campus Field.
GRADUATING SENIORS
Saturday's game against Fisher will serve as Elmira's Class of 2018 Recognition Day. In a pre-game ceremony, Beekman, Donegal,
Tony Barraco '18,
Brendan Wise '18 and
Kurt Bartholomew '18 will be recognized for their contributions to the EC men's soccer team over their collegiate careers.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following Saturday's bout, Elmira will take a short hiatus from E8 play, as it heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, for a non-league game against King's College (Pa.) on Friday, October 27. The contest is slated to start at 7:00 p.m. at the Monarchs' McCarthy Stadium.
