Score: Elmira College 1, D'Youville College 1 (2OT)
Records: Elmira (1-1-1), D'Youville (0-2-1)
Location: Dobson Field – Buffalo, N.Y.
 
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team held a 1-0 lead for nearly 57 minutes of tonight's contest, but a late goal by D'Youville College in the closing minutes of regulation paved the way for a 1-1 double overtime tie. Elmira's Rodney Smith '19 continued to produce offense from the back line, as the Parkville, Maryland, native scored his second goal in as many games. Rookie Anthony Lipp '21 got the starting nod between the posts for EC and remained unbeaten on the season (1-0-1), after making a season-high nine saves.
 
Elmira finished the double-overtime affair with a 19-17 lead in shots, as well as a whopping 9-3 lead in corner kick chances. The Spartans were more efficient with their attempts, placing 10 shots on frame, while the Soaring Eagles landed seven of their 19 shots on goal.
 
Elmira was able to create a plethora of scoring chances in the opening half, a nice change of pace after spending the majority of its first two games of the season defending. The Soaring Eagles outshot the Spartans 8-to-5 in the opening 45 minutes, which helped the Elmira men take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break. Elmira's eight shots in the opening half were more than either of EC's shot totals from the first two contests.
 
The opening goal came from junior center back Rodney Smith '19, who once again found himself in the right place at the right time on an Elmira corner kick. Following a corner delivery from John Broyles '19, the ball got knocked around until the loose ball found its way to Smith, who calmly slid it into the back of the net to give the Purple and Gold a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute of regulation.
 
Smith's goal looked as though it would hold up through to the final horn, but D'Youville's Josh Hammer leveled the match in the second half with just 3:28 left on the clock. Hammer's finish came inside the 18-yard box, which sent tonight's contest into overtime.
 
Shots in the overtime periods were nearly identical, as EC held a slim 7-6 lead. Not only did Elmira create more chances, its attempts were more accurate, as the Purple and Gold placed four of their seven attempts on goal, while all six of D'Youville's missed their mark. Regardless, neither team was able to break through for a game-winning score, as the contest ended in the 110th minute with both teams level at 1-1.

In His Own Words…
Coach Kevin Brenner shares his thoughts on tonight's 1-1 draw…
"Credit to a well-organized D'Youville team that also showed more desire and passion than we did tonight. The intangibles and the little things win you college soccer games, and we were not good at either tonight. We will regroup and get focused in for another tough set of games Saturday and Sunday."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira launched a season-high 19 shots and placed a season-high seven shots on goal.
• EC's nine corner kick chances were also a season high.
• The 19 shots were the most by Elmira since October 26, 2016.
• Tonight's contest was the first road and night contest of the season for Elmira.
• The Soaring Eagles remained unbeaten against the Spartans with an all-time record of 4-0-1.
• Smith has scored in back-to-back games, a career first for the Parkville, Maryland, native.
• Smith's two-goal season total is a career high.
• Lipp's nine saves set a new single-game high for the freshman keeper.
• Lipp's nine saves were also the most by an EC freshman since 2013.

 
Up Next
The Elmira men return to action this Saturday, September 9, when they make the short trip up Route 13 to battle the Bombers of Ithaca College. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Ithaca, New York.