ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's soccer team welcomes St. John Fisher College to Campus Field on Tuesday, October 24, for an Empire 8 Conference bout. The league game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles dropped an E8 tilt to The Sage Colleges, 4-0, at Campus Field on Saturday afternoon. The Gators were able to dictate play for much of the day, as they owned a 22-to-6 advantage in shots, as well as a 10-to-3 lead in shots on goal. Elmira's best offensive chance came off the foot of
Jordyn Rousselle '18, who had a one-on-one chance against Sage's keeper, Emma Augustine, just inside the 18-yard box, but her shot was just turned away to preserve shutout. In goal for EC, both
Ali DeSalvatore '20 and
Meghan Ray '19 saw action, with the former making two saves and the latter posting four.
2017 HOME FINALE
Tomorrow's bout will mark Elmira's last on its home pitch Campus Field this season. The Soaring Eagles have played their best soccer in Elmira, as they have scored eight of their nine goals at home this year. The highlight of these games was EC's thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Wells College on September 19, the Purple and Gold's lone win this season. The Soaring Eagles also recorded their lone conference point of the year at Campus Field on September 23, when they earned a 1-1 double-overtime draw against Alfred University.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Coming into Tuesday's contest, Fisher has lost six of its last seven bouts, which dropped its overall record to 4-12-1. In conference play, the Cardinals are riding a five-game losing streak and are just 1-5-1 against league opposition. Most recently, Fisher fell at the hands of Alfred University, 1-0, on Saturday in Pittsford, New York. Despite their overall record, the Cardinals' season would look very different if a few of their close contests had swung in their favor. Fisher is 2-6-0 in one-goal games this season, four of which came against E8 foes. Junior keeper Melissa McGowan has been in charge of leading the Cardinals' defense, as she has started all 17 games in 2017. McGowan has also recorded a .750 save percentage and 93 saves, the fourth most in the conference. Another staple of Fisher's defense has been senior defender Nora Broderick, who is just one of four players on the team to start all 17 games, playing at least 90 minutes in all but one of those contests. On offense, Hannah Buschner and Kerri Orbach are tied for the team lead in points with 10 apiece. Buschner has posted four goals and two assists in her 14 appearances, while Orbach has accounted for a team-high five goals this year. Emily Murray has been the Cardinals' main facilitator, as she has contributed a team-leading three assists.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Soaring Eagles and the Cardinals has featured 17 previous meetings. In those bouts, Fisher owns a 11-6-0 advantage over its feathered foes. In the most recent contest between the two teams, the Cardinals bested EC by a 2-0 final score in Pittsford on October 9 of last season. The Soaring Eagles last tasted victory against Fisher in the 2015 campaign, when Elmira earned a 2-0 triumph at Campus Field.
RAY'S TIME TO SHINE
Ray recorded career highs in both minutes (50:31) and saves (4) against Sage on Saturday. The bout against the Gators was Ray's first game action of the 2017 campaign. In total, the junior from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, has appeared in four games in her career and has tallied six saves.
UP NEXT
The EC women will conclude the 2017 season on Saturday, October 28, when they head to Rochester, New York, to challenge Nazareth College. The league contest is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Golden Flyer Stadium.
