Score: Elmira College 2, Brockport 1
Records: Elmira (1-6), Brockport (1-6)
Location: Bob Boozer Field - Brockport, N.Y.
 
BROCKPORT, N.Y. -- Behind a two-goal performance from freshman Janie Kempf '21, the Elmira College field hockey team earned its first victory of the 2017 season. The Soaring Eagles topped non-conference foe The College at Brockport by a 2-1 final score on Tuesday evening at Bob Boozer Field in Brockport, New York.
 
Today's contest was an evenly fought affair, as EC finished with a slight 13-to-11 advantage in total shots, while both teams finished tied with seven shots on goal apiece. Defensively, both netminders did a strong job of keeping the tilt close, as Elmira again just edged out its feathered foe with a 6-to-5 lead in saves.
 
The game started off as a defensive battle, as neither team would score for the first 27:55. EC's best chance in that time period was an Alison Mariano '18 strike at the 5:57 that was ultimately stopped by Golden Eagles' defender Maya Reina. On the other end of the field, Brockport was also able to generate some chances, but senior keeper Julie Hockenberger '18 kept the home team in check, as she stopped both of its shots on goal in those 27 minutes.
 
Kempf opened the game's scoring with her first strike of the day at the 27:55 mark. The freshman from New Woodstock, New York, took a beautiful pass from Atu Machika '18 and one-timed it past Golden Eagle keeper Sarah Beam to put Elmira up 1-0. Machika's assist is her first point of the campaign.
 
The Soaring Eagles' lead lasted just over 11 minutes, as Brockport knotted the score at 1-all at the 38:42 mark. Katie Ziemba was able to beat Hockenberger for her first goal of the year after receiving a pass from midfielder Kaitlin Croghan.
 
The game remained deadlocked for the next 16:13, as neither team was able to take the coveted lead. In need of an answer, Elmira again looked to Kempf to break the tie and she did. The 5-foot-6-inch forward buried the game-winning goal at the 54:55 mark. Kempf's fourth goal of the season was assisted by senior Sarah McCaffrey '18, her first point of the year.

Elmira's advantage stood for the remainder of the bout, as Brockport was able to get just one shot off in the final 15:05.

In Her Own Words...
Head Coach Lauren Silva shares her thoughts on her team earning its first victory of the year...
"I feel so much joy! The team has been steadily progressing this season, and to finally achieve the outcome that we have been working towards is very rewarding."
 
Coach Silva talks about what was working well for her team in tonight's bout...
"Tonight, our passing game and spatial support made the difference. We were hungry for the win, and the team played hard on both sides of the ball. We also managed our time well as the game came to a close."
 
Coach Silva discusses using tonight's momentum heading into Saturday's game against Stevens...
"Tonight's win was huge for our confidence, so we will continue working on our game this week to prepare for a strong Stevens team."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improves to 1-6 on the season after today's triumph.
• Today's game was EC's third multi-goal outing of the year.
• With seven shots on goal, the Soaring Eagles tied a season high for the team.
• Kempf paces Elmira in both points (8) and goals (4).
• The last EC player to score twice in a game was Julia Derco '17, who did so in a 3-0 EC win over Oswego State on October 3, 2015.
• The last Soaring Eagle rookie to score twice in a game was Ashley Palmer '16, who did so on October 27, 2012, in a bout against Washington & Jefferson College.
• Today's assists by Machika and McCaffrey are the seniors' first points of the year.

 
Up Next
EC returns to the Empire 8 Conference portion of its schedule on Saturday, September 23, when it travels to Hoboken, New Jersey, to face the Stevens Institute of Technology. The league bout is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.