Score: Elmira College 2, King's College (Pa.) 1
Records: Elmira (4-10-2), King's (10-6-1)
Location: McCarthy Stadium – Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
 
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Key contributions from its senior class, along with a pair of standout efforts between the posts, helped the Elmira College men's soccer team edge King's College (Pa.) by a 2-1 final score. The win was Elmira's third road victory of the season and its first against a non-conference foe in an away match.
 
The Monarchs held a 16-to-4 advantage in shots, as well as a whopping 7-to-0 lead in corner kick chances. Despite those leads, the Elmira defense was able to slow down the Monarch offense and limit them to just one second-half goal en route to the win.
 
Senior Brendan Wise '18 opened the scoring for the Soaring Eagles in the 16th minute with his second tally of the season. After receiving a long over-the-top pass from Tony Barraco '18, Wise eluded a defender and blistered a shot into the net from the left wing to put the Purple and Gold on top 1-0.
 
Following the goal by Wise, King's outshot Elmira, 3-2, but neither side was able to find a goal as the Soaring Eagles entered the halftime break with a one-goal advantage. Elmira's starting goalkeeper, Jacob Mattice '21, made three saves in the opening half, before Anthony Lipp '21 took over netminder duties for the final 45 minutes of regulation.
 
King's tested Lipp with a flurry of shots to open the second stanza, but EC's rookie goalie made a pair of saves to keep the home team off of the scoreboard. Lipp's effort paid off, as the Purple and Gold padded their lead in the 66th minute.
 
The scoring play began with a cross into the mixer off of a free kick from the left sde of the pitch by Josh Broyles '21. The feed from Broyles made its way to Barraco in the box, where he tipped in the free kick from just outside the goal line to give the Soaring Eagles a 2-0 lead.
 
Elmira held King's without a shot over a 12-minute span until Steven Valencia cut the Elmira lead, 2-1, with a goal by Steven Valencia in the 78th minute. Cassidy Tripolitis and Alastair Dinnan were both credited with assists on the goal.
 
EC clung to its one-goal lead down the stretch and fended off a furious offensive assault by the Monarchs, who launched seven shots in the final 6:04 of regulation. Thankfully Elmira's back line was up to the task, as they blocked four of the seven attempts and forced the other three shots to sail wide. Those efforts helped solidify a 2-1 Soaring Eagle victory.
 
Mattice was credited with the win, after making three saves and holding the Monarchs scoreless through the first half. Lipp made a pair of saves in the second stanza to preserve the win for EC. Offensively, Wise and Barraco each finished with two points on one goal apiece, while Broyles was credited with EC's lone assist of the night.
 
In His Own Words…
Head Coach Kevin Brenner shares his thoughts on Elmira's win…
"I thought today was a great opportunity for younger players to showcase themselves and they did a fantastic job at doing that. We capitalized on our chances, pushing the lead to 2-0, however we sat back too much and allowed King's to make it a game. Overall, I am pleased with the result as we matched the win total from last year with one game and hopefully playoffs still to come."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 3-3-1 in road matches this season.
• EC is 2-2-1 in its last five contests.
• The four shots are the fewest EC has logged in a win since October 11, 2003, when the Soaring Eagles edged RIT after taking four shots.
• Elmira evened the all-time series with King's at 5-5-2.
• EC earned its first win over King's since 1991. 
• Barraco scored his first goal of the season, while Wise tallied his second of the year.
• Josh Broyles '21 picked up his first career assist.
• John Mullan '21 made the first start of his collegiate career.
• Mattice earned his second win of the season and improved to 2-2-1 during his debut season.

 
Up Next
Elmira closes out the regular season this Friday, October 27, when the Purple and Gold travel to face The Sage Colleges in hopes of clinching an Empire 8 Conference postseason berth. The opening kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Albany College of Pharmacy's ACPHS Turf Athletic Field.