ELMIRA, N.Y.--The Soaring Eagles will be looking to get back into the win column this afternoon, as they hit the road to battle the Golden Eagles of The College at Brockport in a non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start at Bob Boozer Field.
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira couldn't build off the momentum from its first win of the season, as it fell at the hands of SUNY Geneseo this past Saturday. The Soaring Eagles could not find their way back into the game after the Knights opened on a 9-0 run. Elmira halted the assault on two separate occasions with goals from Wyatt Kastos '17 and
Nevin Olney '18, but those efforts were not enough; as Geneseo went on to claim the win by a final score of 22-2.
TWO-HEADED ATTACK: The Purple and Gold's offense this season has been led by a pair of upperclassmen in the form of
Anthony LaRusso '17 and
Nevin Olney '18. LaRusso posted career highs in points (7) and goals (6) last week in Elmira's first win of the season against Houghton. Olney has kept pace with LaRusso as the junior has recorded at least one goal in all but one game this season, with his best performance coming in a four-goal outburst against the Highlanders. The duo is tied for the team lead in goals and points with 10 and 12, respectively.
HOLDING DOWN THE FORT: Cameron Prior '17 has had consistently strong performances in goal this season for the Soaring Eagles. The senior netminder has pushed his save percentage to .548 on the year, which is good for third in the Empire 8. His 13.80 saves per game this season have Prior sitting second in the E8.
SCOUTING BROCKPORT: The Golden Eagles enter today's contest riding a three-game winning streak. Their most recent game on April 1 ended with a 16-7 victory over SUNY Potsdam. The victory saw seven different players find the back of the net for the Golden Eagles, with Jake Giudice and Jake Recor leading the way with four goals apiece. Giudice holds the team lead in points with 28 on 21 goals and seven assists. His point total has the senior attacker among the leaders in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), where he currently ranks fifth. Brockport also lays claim to a top-ranked goalkeeper within the SUNYAC. Senior Conor Nowak boasts the third-best goals-against average (7.92) and the fifth-best save percentage (.538) within the conference.
ALL TIME SERIES: Elmira hasn't been able to get over the hump against Brockport in the short history between the two teams. Brockport owns a 5-0 record against the Soaring Eagles, with the most recent contest in the 2015 season ending in a 16-1 victory for the Golden Eagles.
LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira restarts conference play this Saturday, April 8, as the Soaring Eagles return home to face the Hawks of Hartwick College. The contest is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start, with the location still to be determined due to weather conditions.
