ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team is coming off of two consecutive wins and will look to make it three in a row this Saturday, April 8, when the Purple and Gold travel to face the Hawks of Hartwick College. The Empire 8 Conference bout is set for 1:00 p.m. at Wright Stadium in Oneonta, New York.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A dominant effort in securing draw controls proved to be the difference last time out, as the Soaring Eagles throttled Wells College on the road, 16-5, on April 5. Elmira won 17-of-22 draw controls and scored seven goals following those wins on the draw. The Purple and Gold took a 6-3 lead into the halftime break and would go on to outscore the Express, 10-2, in the second half to secure the double-digit win. Fueling Elmira's second-half outburst was a 7-0 run from the 11:24 mark to 3:16, which saw Kyra McDonald '18 score two of her game- and career-high six goals.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Elmira's offense enjoyed a great deal of success against the Express of Wells last Wednesday night, as the Purple and Gold racked up a season-high 16 goals. Six different players tallied for the Soaring Eagles, led by McDonald's six goals, which was closely followed by a five-goal performance by Hayley Baker '19; it marked the first time this season EC had two players finish with five-or-more goals. Not only were the 16 tallies a season high, so were Elmira's 21 points, 40 shots, and 31 shots on goal, while the team's five assists tied the season high.
 
CLEARLY A GOOD CLEAR: The Soaring Eagles not only performed well on offense against Wells, but their transition game was as good as it has been all season. Elmira successfully cleared its zone at an 86.7-percent clip (13-for-15), a season high for the EC women. The last time Elmira converted at such a high rate dates back to April 24, 2016, when the Soaring Eagles went 21-for-24 (87.5%) on clears against Alfred University.
 
SCOUTING HARTWICK: The Hawks are off to a solid start to the 2017 campaign, as they head into Saturday's contest with a 6-3 overall record with a 2-1 mark inside the Empire 8 Conference. Hartwick has won five of its last seven, included its two most recent triumphs on the road against Houghton (13-11) and Alfred (22-2). Senior Lauren Rosenberg has been a pillar of the women's lacrosse program at Hartwick with 198 career points on 162 and 36 helpers. She ranks ninth all-time career goals and eighth all-time in career points; with two more points she will become the eighth player in program history to reach the 200-point plateau. Rosenberg has 43 points this season, 34 of which have come in the form of goals, which ranks third in the E8. Carleigh Tarala and Ashley Jablonowski have split time between the posts. Jablonowski has seen the most action (278:07) and owns a 4-2 record to go along with an 11.22 goals-against average and 40 saves. Tarala has 36 saves on the year, an 8.94 goals-against average, and a 2-1 record.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Elmira and Hartwick will meet for the 18^th time this Saturday. The Soaring Eagles own a slim edged in the all-time series, 9-8, but have dropped two consecutive overtime games to the Hawks heading into the weekend. Elmira's last victory dates back to the 2014 season, when EC scored three straight to close out regulation play to clip Hartwick by a single goal, 15-4.
 
LOOK AHEAD: Elmira will enjoy a seven-day layoff until its next contest on Saturday, April 15, when the Soaring Eagles host Alfred University in E8 action. The league bout is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Elmira's Campus Field.