ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team concludes action at Campus Field for the 2017 season, as the Soaring Eagles take on the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College this afternoon in a 4:00 p.m. Empire 8 Conference contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira is coming off of its fourth win of the season, a 9-7 victory over visiting SUNY Canton last Sunday afternoon. The first 30 minutes of the contest only produced four goals between the two sides, as the Soaring Eagles entered halftime deadlocked with the Kangaroos, 2-2. Canton's Allison Auger opened the second half with a tally in the first 1:11, but Elmira responded with three unanswered goals by Rachael Goetz '20, Kelsey Quail '17 and Hayley Baker '19 to take a 5-3 advantage. Elmira built its lead to as many as three goals, 8-5, but back-to-back strikes from Canton's Auger and Lora Ardoin made it a one-goal game with 3:17 left in regulation. Thankfully, Elmira won the ensuing draw control and was awarded a free-position attempt shortly after, which was converted by Baker to cushion the EC lead at 9-7. The Soaring Eagles were able to hang onto their lead down the stretch, as the Elmira women marched away with a two-goal victory on Class of 2017 Recognition Day.
 
TEAM MOLLY: This afternoon's game will serve as EC's Team Molly Game. Team Molly is a foundation that was founded in memory of former Division III women's lacrosse player, Molly Seifritz, who lost her fight with Ewing Sarcoma, which is a rare form of bone cancer. The Team Molly foundation's goal is to raise awareness about Ewing Sarcoma and raise money to support cancer research in hopes of finding a cure for the disease.
 
THANK YOU SENIORS: Today will also serve as the final home game for a trio of Elmira College seniors: Kylie Connell '17, Kelsey Quail '17 and Lindsay Wargo '17. Elmira would like to thank them for all of their contributions to the women's lacrosse program over the last four years.
 
SCOUTING FISHER: The five-time defending Empire 8 champs head into today's contest with a 10-4 record and sit in fourth place in the conference standings with a 4-3 league mark. Two of the team's four losses have come against nationally-ranked opposition, while the Cardinals boast a victory over No. 19-ranked Brockport. The Cardinals have won four consecutive games, all of which have had goal differentials of nine or more, and are 6-1 in their last seven contests. St. John Fisher has proven to be a tough team to beat at home with a 5-1 record at Growney Stadium, but has not seen the same amount of success in true road games, as the Cardinals sport an even 3-3 away record. Fisher touts the conference's leading offense with 14.36 goals per game and is the best team in terms of ball control with a league-low 180 turnovers. 2016 E8 All-Conference First-Team honoree Jordan Johnson leads the Fisher offense in goals (39), assists (38), and points (77). She is averaging 5.50 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the Empire 8. Defensively, Hayley Peets and Morgan Hayes have been a dynamic duo in net. Both have seen substantial time between the posts and have combined for a 6.11 goals-against average, which ranks second in the league.
 
SERIES HISTORY: St. John Fisher and Elmira will meet for the 18th time this afternoon. Fisher owns a lopsided 15-2 advantage in the series and has won nine straight. EC's last win dates back to the 2006 Empire 8 Semifinal.
 
UP NEXT: The 2017 season comes to a close for Elmira next Saturday, April 29, when the Soaring Eagles travel to face the Highlanders of Houghton College in Empire 8 action. The contest is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.