Score: Elmira College 2, Keuka College 1 (PS)
Records: Elmira (6-7), Keuka (4-9)
Location: Murray Athletic Center -- Pine Valley, N.Y.

PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- For the fifth time in the past six games, the Elmira College field hockey team came out victorious, this time using a penalty-stroke shootout to defeat Keuka College by a 2-1 final score on Tuesday evening.

The Soaring Eagles and Wolves ended regulation deadlocked at 1-all, and that tie lasted through an addition 20 minutes of overtime before a winner could be decided. In the best-of-five series, Matilda Kennedy-Butler '19 and Janie Kempf '21 converted on Elmira's second and third attempts, and after both sides missed their fourth opportunity, Emily Selbert '20 buried the clinching shot.

Not only did the Purple and Gold face the pressure of the shootout, but the Soaring Eagles had to overcome a 1-0 deficit in the second half and a late injury that left the team a player short for the final 10:52 of regulation. Keuka was outshot by EC by a wide margin, 30-to-9, but managed to score first to pull ahead in the 43rd minute. Anxiously looking to level to score, it seemed as though EC's prayers might have been answered when the officials awarded the Soaring Eagles a penalty stroke in the 51st minute. Alas, Kempf's shot one-on-one with Keuka goalie Kassidy Valentine sailed wide right of the cage.

Approximately six minutes later, Elmira finally found the back of the cage on a penalty corner. Liz Shephard '21 inserted the ball to Kempf atop the arc, who then swung it to Selbert on the right side. The junior midfielder from Buffalo, New York, then beat Valentine to the right post for the game-tying tally.

The Soaring Eagle offense continued to bombard Valentine with shots, as EC recorded eight to Keuka's two in the 20 minutes of extra time. Keuka's keeper came up with perhaps her biggest stop of the evening in the second overtime period, as Elmira was awarded another penalty stroke with 5:11 remaining in the stanza. This time, Valentine swatted the ball away with the pad on her left hand, preserving the tie and forcing the shootout.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Lauren Silva when asked about her team's resiliency in the win over the Wolves…
"Proud is an understatement. We faced an incredible amount of adversity; we came from behind, played down one and then two players, held off a strong Keuka team during two overtime periods, and then successfully completed our first shootout of the season. Tonight's game was a true test of our physical endurance, mental toughness, and overall perseverance."

 Coach Silva on her advice to the team prior to the shootout…
"Before the shootout, I told all of the girls, Tina included, simply not to overthink it. It was important for them to have confidence in themselves and play smart."

News and Notes

• Elmira has won five of their last six games, which each of the previous four wins coming by a single goal.
• The shootout win marked the first of the season for the Soaring Eagles.
• EC improved to 6-7 overall, with the six victories equaling the most by the Soaring Eagles in a single season since they won six times in 2005.
• Elmira is 4-3 at the MAC with one home game remaining in 2018.
• EC is 3-1 all-time against Keuka.
• Selbert's goal is her second of the season.
• Tina O'Donnell '20 earned her sixth win in the cage, tied for fourth-most in Elmira single-season program history; the last goalie to win six games in a season was Ann Phillips '07 in 2005.

Up Next
Elmira will resume Empire 8 Conference play on Saturday, October 20, when the Soaring Eagles trek to Utica, New York, for an 11:00 a.m. matchup against the Utica College Pioneers.