Score: Elmira College 9, SUNY Canton 7
Records: Elmira (4-9), Canton (6-7)
Location: Campus Field -- Elmira, New York

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team broke a 2-2 halftime tie by scoring seven times during the second half of Sunday's non-conference bout with the SUNY Canton Kangaroos en route to a 9-7 victory on Class of 2017 Recognition Day.

Prior to the game, Kelsey Quail '17, Kylie Connell '17 and Lindsay Wargo '17 were honored by the team in a special Senior Day ceremony. It would be a big day for two of EC's three seniors, as Wargo received the win in goal with seven saves and Quail tallied three points on two goals and one assist.

Through the first 26 minutes of action, both Elmira and Canton found the back of the net just once, as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw late into the first half. Hayley Baker '19 leveled the score with the first of her game-high four goals at the 19:14 mark. The offenses began to heat up late in the period, a preview of the faster-paced second half. Canton midfielder Theresa DiMartin briefly gave the Roos a 2-1 lead with 3:58 to play in the half, but Elmira responded with a man-up tally inside the two-minute mark. On a restart after being fouled in the offensive zone, Mae Dinh '18 found Quail inside the arc and the senior beat Canton goalie Becca Kieffer low to her stick side.

The Kangaroos regained a one-goal lead just 1:11 into the second half on Allison Auger's second of the afternoon. Baker and Rachael Goetz '20 connected two-and-a-half minutes later to once again even the score, this time at 3-3. Baker hit Goetz as she cut down the middle of the arc and the freshman made a great play to scoop the low pass on the move. She then picked the upper right corner in the midst of three defenders.

Another two minutes passed before Quail netted the go-ahead tally. The speedy Kelcey Crawford '18 raced nearly the length of the field to clear the ball from the EC defensive zone before feeding a wide-open Quail on the doorstep of the crease. Baker completed her hat trick and gave the Purple and Gold a two-goal lead, 5-3, with a tremendous finish off a pass from Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18. From behind the goal line on the right side of the cage, Lippiatt Durnell floated a pass over the crease to Baker, who was posted up on the left post. The second-year attacker was able to collect the high pass and one-time it into a practically empty net with Kieffer out of position.

The Roos cut the deficit back to one, but the Soaring Eagles tallied three of the next four goals to grab an 8-5 lead. Sarah Hughson '18 helped set up the Elmira offense for Dinh's score with 5:25 remaining in regulation. The junior midfielder stick-checked and stripped Canton's Cecelia Neally in the neutral zone on an attempted clear, which allowed the Purple and Gold to retain possession.

The Kangaroos would not go down without a fight, however, as Auger and Lori Ardoin recorded back-to-back goals to bring Canton within one, 8-7.
Baker padded the Elmira advantage with an insurance goal with 1:43 to play. Lippiatt Durnell was lined up for a free position shot, but rather than firing an attempt on goal, she feed the Braintree, Massachusetts, native on the left side of the arc. Kieffer committed to her right on the pass, but after hauling in the heads-up pass, Baker sealed the win with a shot inside the far post.

Turning Point
Elmira struggled to secure draw controls during Saturday's contest against Nazareth College, and the final score illustrated just that. But on Sunday, EC won 10-of-18 draws, including the one taken after Ardoin made it an 8-7 game with 3:17 to play in the second half. Not only were the Soaring Eagles able to burn 1:24 off of the clock, on that possession Baker tickled the twine for the fourth time in the game on a much-needed insurance goal.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Alexa Tardif on Elmira's effort in Sunday's victory over SUNY Canton…
"I'm very proud of how the team played today. I think they played smart and worked well together, especially having played less than 24 hours before. They were able to push through being tired, and worked hard for their seniors and each other."

Coach Tardif on coming out with the victory on Class of 2017 Recognition Day…
"It was especially meaningful because I know they played with a lot of heart today for their seniors. Getting the win for them was awesome."

Coach Tardif when asked about her speech to the team at halftime, tied 2-2…
"I told them to play as a family and for each other, to not force the ball, and put it in the back of the net. They needed to turn it up a few notches if they really wanted this win."

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Canton, 28-to-21.
• The Soaring Eagles also slim advantages in ground balls (26-to-25) and draw controls (10-to-8).
• EC converted 20-of-23 clear attempts, while the Roos were success on 19-of-24.
• Canton caused more turnovers, 15-to-13, but coughed the ball up two more times, 24-to-22.
• The Soaring Eagles scored once on eight free position attempts; Canton finished 0-or-3.
• Baker paced all scorers with four goals and five points.
• Quail (2g, 1a) and Lippiatt Durnell (0g, 3a) each registered three points.
• Goetz scored twice for Elmira, and Dinh added two points with one goal and one assist.
• Hughson caused six turnovers, picked up five ground balls, and collected two draws.
• Wargo made seven stops and scooped six ground balls for the Soaring Eagles.
• Auger led Canton with three goals.
• Kieffer had 10 saves between the pipes for the Roos.

News and Notes

• Elmira is 4-9 overall on the season.
• EC is 4-2 all-time against Canton.
• With five points on Sunday, Baker has posted nine in her past two games.
• Quail scored multiple goals for the fourth time in her senior season.
• Dinh tied her season high with two points.
• Hughson's six caused turnovers mark her second-high total of 2017.
• Wargo needs 13 more saves to tie the program's all-time record for stops in a career, held by Malorie Stockwell '07 (381).

Up Next
The Elmira women will take on the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College in their regular-season home finale on Wednesday, April 26. The Empire 8 Conference contest will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Campus Field.