ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team will take on the Ducks of No. 20-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology in Empire 8 Conference action on Saturday, April 22, at Campus Field. The opening faceoff between the feathered foes is slated for 1:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles trekked to Rochester, New York, to take on the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College on Tuesday, April 18, but came away on the losing end of a 25-4 decision. Nevin Olney '18 ended Fisher's early run of three consecutive goals 4:58 into the first quarter, slashing the deficit to 3-1, but the hosts rattled off 12 straight goals to grab a formidable 15-1 lead early in the third quarter. Olney led the Purple and Gold with two goals, the fourth multi-goal game of his junior campaign. Seniors Anthony LaRusso '17 and Joe Greene '17 each contributed one goal as well. Second-year long pole Kevin Schutt '19 finished the Empire 8 Conference contest with game highs in both ground balls (7) and caused turnovers (3). Between the pipes, senior Cameron Prior '17 made 20 stops, marking his third game of the season with 20-or-more saves.
 
"SCHUTT"-DOWN: After a standout freshman campaign, Schutt has continued to shine as a leader for the Soaring Eagles on the back end. The 6-foot-6-inch sophomore paces the team in both ground balls (40) and caused turnovers (15), after producing his second-highest single-game totals of the season at St. John Fisher earlier this week. The Macedon, New York, native ranks eighth on the Empire 8 Conference leaderboards with a per-game average of 4.00 ground balls, this after finishing his debut season eighth in the league in the same category with 4.54. Through the first 23 games of his collegiate career, Schutt has collected 99 ground balls, and he'll more than likely eclipse 100 for his career during today's game against Stevens.

SCOUTING STEVENS: Winners of six in a row, the Ducks finally cracked the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association (USILA)/Nike Division III Coaches Poll at No. 20 in this week's edition of the rankings. At 11-3 overall and a perfect 6-0 inside the Empire 8, Stevens looks to be in line for the top seed in the postseason conference tournament after knocking off then-No. 3 Ithaca College in overtime, 11-10, back on April 1 in Hoboken, New Jersey. That win avenged a 15-11 beating the Bombers handed the Ducks in last year's Empire 8 Championship Game. Through its first 13 games of the season, the Ducks rank third in the league in both goals for with 13.79 per game and goals against, having allowed an average of just 8.48.  Offensively, four different Ducks have scored 20-or-more goals, led by junior Tommy Dawson with 36. The two-time E8 All-Conference honoree has netted four game-winners this season, including the dagger in overtime against Ithaca. Springfield College is the only team on Stevens' schedule that has been able to hold Dawson without a point. Sophomore goalie Carson White has resumed the starting role after earning E8 All-Conference Second Team honors as a freshman. He's made 100 saves with an 8.88 goals-against average.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Ducks have held the advantage in the all-time series against the Soaring Eagles, having won all nine previous meetings since Stevens joined the Empire 8.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Elmira men will hit the road to face another nationally-ranked opponent in No. 10 Ithaca on Wednesday, April 26, at 4:00 p.m.