ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team will look to shake off its last result and put another tally in the win column this weekend, as the Soaring Eagles open Empire 8 Conference play on Saturday, September 16, against the Highlanders of Houghton College. Saturday's league bout is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. inside the friendly confines of EC's Campus Field.
EMPIRE 8 OPENER
Elmira and Houghton open Empire 8 Conference play this Saturday and will meet for the first time in an E8 opener. Since 2002, Elmira has gone 5-9-1 in conference-opening matches, although that number is a bit misleading of EC's form in recent history. The Purple and Gold are 5-1-1 in their last seven conference-opening matches and are coming off of a 6-1 E8-opening win over Utica in 2016. Five of the seven conference-openers have taken place on the grass pitch at Campus Field and Elmira has more than doubled the opposition during that seven-game stretch, 17-8.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
Houghton College enters the weekend with an even 3-3-0 overall record. The Highlanders opened the 2017 campaign with a loss to Oswego State, but responded nicely by winning three consecutive games. However, Houghton has lost its last two games, one in overtime to Fredonia and the other being a two-goal setback to SUNY Geneseo. The Highlanders are road tested with four away games under their belts thus far into the season (2-2). Leading the charge on offense is two-time Empire 8 All-Conference honoree Ben Lawrence, who paces the team in points (7) and goals (3). Outside of Lawrence, Houghton has employed the scoring services of five additional players that have tallied one goal apiece. Ben DiCrasto has been the main distributor of the ball, as he heads into the weekend with a team-high two assists, both of which came in wins over SUNY Purchase and Buffalo State. Defensively, two-sport athlete Jordon Crouch has been the go-to option between the posts. After missing the season-opener, Crouch has started in each of Houghton's last five contests and boasts a 3-2-0 record. He has 22 saves on the year and sports a 1.39 goals-against average.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest will serve as the 20th all-time meeting between the two conference rivals. Houghton heads into the matchup with a 13-5-1 lead in the all-time series and with the most recent win in the series, a 3-0 victory at Burke Field. However, the series has teetered back-and-forth since the 2013 season, with both teams trading wins on their home fields. Elmira's most recent win dates back to 2015, when EC downed the Highlanders by two goals, an all-important win that helped the Soaring Eagles clinch a postseason bid.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Soaring Eagles are back in action at Campus Field two days from now on Monday, September 18, when they resume their non-conference schedule with a 4:00 p.m. bout against the Golden Eagles of Brockport. Monday's tilt versus Brockport will serve as EC's final tune-up before taking on E8 rivals Nazareth College (Sep. 23) and Alfred University (Sep. 30).
