Score: St. John Fisher College 25, Elmira College 4
Records: St. John Fisher (8-6, 3-3 E8), Elmira (1-9, 1-4 E8)
Location: Growney Stadium - Rochester, New York
  
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team stumbled in an Empire 8 Conference tilt against St. John Fisher College by a 25-4 final score on Tuesday night in Rochester, New York.

The contest started off ugly for the Soaring Eagles, as just 47 seconds into the game the Cardinals scored their first goal of the game. Nick Papayanakos buried the goal into the back of the wide-open EC net after stripping Cameron Prior '17 of the ball on a clear attempt.

Papayanakos's goal was a forecast of more unfortunate events for Elmira, as Fisher went on to score two more goals to take the early 3-0 advantage.

EC answered with its first goal of the day at the 10:02 mark of the first quarter to cut the deficit to 3-1. Nevin Olney '18 scored the tally by taking the ball past a Cardinals defender and beating keeper Tanner Swan to his right side.

Despite stemming the early run by Fisher, the Soaring Eagles were unable to keep the home team down for long. The Cardinals started another scoring streak that lasted until the 13:13 mark of the third quarter. During the run, Fisher scored 12-unanswered strikes and expanded its lead to 14 goals, 15-1.

Anthony LaRusso '17 stopped the run with his only tally of the day at the 13:13 mark. LaRusso took advantage of a missed Olney shot that Fisher's goalie was unable to cleanly corral, which he picked up and drove between the pipes.  

The Cardinals countered with eight unanswered goals to blow up their lead to 21 goals, 23-2. This latest scoring run put the game well in Fisher's hands.

Prior's play between the pipes for EC was not responsible for the offensive explosion of the Cardinals. The Malden, Massachusetts, native faced 43 shots on goal and stopped 20 of them. A few of Prior's saves were impressive, as they stopped fast breaks or came in quick succession in the same possession.

Elmira added goals from Joe Greene '17 and Olney in the final quarter, but they proved to not be enough, as the Cardinals cruised to the 25-4 conference victory.  

Turning Point
Elmira's biggest downfall in today's contest was its reliance on isolation offense. EC's main source of offense was formed around a player trying to drive past multiple defenders and score on his own. All four of the Soaring Eagles' goals were of the unassisted variety. With more passes, Elmira would be able to take better shots, which, in turn, will have a higher likelihood of turning into goals.

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira was outshot, 55-to-19, in the game.
• The Soaring Eagles made 20 saves in the contest, while Fisher recorded nine.
• EC committed 23 turnovers, compared to the Cardinals' 26.
• Fisher dominated in the groundball category, besting Elmira 53-to-25.
• Both teams finished 0-for-2 on the extra-man opportunity.
• The Cardinals won 25 faceoffs, compared to EC's five wins.
• Olney paced the Soaring Eagles with two goals.
• Both LaRusso and Greene tallied goals for Elmira.
• Prior made 20 saves between the pipes for the Soaring Eagles in his 51:05 of work.
• Papayanakos paced all players with game highs in points (7), goals (4) and assists (3).

 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles fall to 1-9 on the season.
• After three-straight E8 losses, Elmira drops to 1-4 in conference play.
• The Cardinals improve to 11-5 in the all-time series against EC, winning the last 11 contests.
• Fisher's 25 goals are a season high by a Soaring Eagles' opponent.
• Olney has scored a goal in five of the last six games.
• Prior's 20 saves is his third-highest total this season.
• Kevin Schutt '19 recorded three caused turnovers, tied for the second most of his season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return home to Campus Field for an E8 showdown against Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, April 22. The conference bout is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.