ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team will look to earn its second consecutive victory in a non-conference bout against SUNY Geneseo on Saturday, April 1. The contest between the Soaring Eagles and the Knights is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: EC earned its first win of the season in a dominant 16-5 triumph over Empire 8 Conference foe Houghton College on Wednesday, March 29. Everything was clicking for Elmira, as it set new season highs in goals (16), shots (49), ground balls (51) and faceoffs won (14). The game started off tight, as the teams traded goals for much of the first stanza. Nevin Olney '18 kept the Soaring Eagles in the contest with his three first-half tallies. After the first 30 minutes, the score sat tied at 4-all. Following the halftime break, however, EC ramped up its offensive attack, scoring nine unanswered goals, which gave it a commanding 13-4 advantage. Anthony LaRusso '17 was the catalyst for this offensive explosion, as he was responsible for five of the nine tallies. Not to be outdone, goalie Cameron Prior '17 was fantastic between the pipes, allowing just one second-half goal, while making eight saves in the complete-game effort. EC added three more goals before the end of the contest to seal the 16-5 victory.

LARUSSO'S CAREER DAY: LaRusso finished Wednesday's game with career highs in both points (7) and goals (6). The senior attacker carved up the Houghton defense in the second half, as all six of his scores came after 30 minutes of play. LaRusso became the first Soaring Eagle to score six goals in a game since Brady Richards '14 did so on April 26, 2014, in a 22-3 win over Alfred State. Richards and David Evert '14 both reached the seven point plateau in that contest, as the former posted six goals and one assist and the latter tallied one goal and seven assists.  

OLNEY SETS THE PACE: As LaRusso shined in the second half, the same can be said for Olney in the first stanza. The Rochester, New York, product kept Elmira close in the first 30 minutes, scoring three of the team's first four goals. Olney was a spark plug for the EC offense, as he also tallied the first goal of the second half, which started the Soaring Eagles' run of nine unanswered. Four goals are a new career high for the junior attacker. Following Wednesday's outstanding performance, Olney sits second on the team in points with 11 points on nine tallies and two assists, and has posted a point in all but one of Elmira's games this season.

SCOUTING GENESEO: The Knights come into Saturday's contest as winners of four of their first six contests. The lone blemishes on Geneseo's 4-2 overall record came at the hands of St. John Fisher College (8-5) and Skidmore College (10-5), the latter being its most recent result on March 28. The Knights' offense has fueled the team's early success, as it has scored in the double digits in all but one game, reaching as many as 18 goals on two separate occasions. Sophomore attacker Zachary DeBottis has paced the Knights' offense with a team-leading 17 points on 12 goals and five assists. In goal, junior Michael Yehl has been one of the most efficient netminders in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The 5-foot-11-inch goalkeeper's 8.49 goals-against average sits third in the conference and his .528 save percentage ranks  sixth.

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's bout will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Knights own a slim 9-6 lead in the series after winning four-straight games between the 2003 and 2006 seasons. The Soaring Eagles tasted some success against Geneseo between 1996-99, winning two of the three contests in that span.  

LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira will continue its non-conference excursion with a tilt versus the Golden Eagles of The College at Brockport on Wednesday, April 5. The feathered foes are scheduled to take flight at 4:00 p.m. at Bob Boozer Field.