ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team travels to Yunevich Stadium on the campus of Alfred University to challenge the Saxons in an Empire 8 Conference contest on Saturday, April 15, at 1:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles dropped an E8 bout against Hartwick College by a 16-3 final score on Saturday, April 8. EC got off to a promising start in the contest, as Anthony LaRusso '17 put the Soaring Eagles up 1-0 with an unassisted tally 55 seconds into the game. From that point, however, the Hawks scored 11 unanswered goals to take a commanding 11-1 lead. Elmira did not score another goal until 1:51 mark of the third quarter, when LaRusso netted his second goal of the day with an assist from Sal Magliocco '17. EC's next goal was the most noteworthy of the contest, as goalkeeper Cameron Prior '17 buried a 45-yard rocket into the back of the Hawks' net. During a clear attempt, Prior noticed that Hartwick's goalie, Connor O'Brien, was assisting on a high press, which left the goal wide open. The Malden, Massachusetts, native took advantage and tallied the first goal of his four-year career. Unfortunately for the Soaring Eagles, Prior's impressive strike was their last of the day, as they were handed their second E8 loss of the season.
 
PRIOR IMPRESSES ON BOTH ENDS: Not only did Prior score the first goal of his career in Saturday's tilt against Hartwick, he also performed quite well between the pipes. In net, the 6-foot-5-inch keeper recorded a season-high 31 saves, the second-highest single-game total in Prior's career. That figure trails only his program-record 38 saves, which he set on April 22, 2015,  in a game against Stevens Institute of Technology. Prior's offensive achievement is a rare sight to say the least, as EC Head Coach Preston Chapman recalled the last time that he saw an Elmira keeper score a goal was on March 26, 1995, when Bruce May '97 did so against Cabrini College.
 
SCOUTING ALFRED: The Saxons enter Saturday's contest riding a season-long four-game losing streak, all of which came against E8 opponents. Alfred's most recent contest was a tight 16-15 loss at the hands of Utica College on Saturday, April 8. Following these recent struggles, the Saxons sit at 4-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play. The main factor in Alfred's struggles during this stretch has been its defensive play, as the Saxons have surrendered 16.5 goals per game during the losing streak. Attributing to this turbulence may be the revolving door between the pipes, as the Saxons have started three different netminders this year. Pacing the crew has been junior Drew Gardner, who leads the team in minutes (346:14), saves (63) and goals-against average (11.96). Offensively, Alfred is led by junior attacker Jake Lynch. The reigning USILA Honorable Mention All-American paces the team in points (50), goals (33) and assists (17). Lynch's numbers stack up well across the country, as his 5.00 points per game rank 23rd in the nation, while his 3.30 goals per game are 24th. Although he's only midway through his junior campaign, Lynch already owns the program record for most goals in a career, and he enters this weekend's game versus Elmira with 141 career tallies to his name.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's tilt will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the two programs. Following six-straight victories by the Saxons, Alfred holds a commanding 20-7 lead in the all-time series. The Soaring Eagles last tasted victory against Alfred on April 10, 2010, in a 14-11 victory in Elmira, New York.

LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira will continue E8 play with a road tilt against St. John Fisher College on Tuesday, April 18. The E8 bout is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Cardinals' Growney Stadium in Rochester, New York.