ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Under the guidance of Head Coach Alexa Tardif, the Elmira College women's lacrosse team has their eyes set on big things for the 2018 season, as this year's roster is one of the most experienced in recent history. The Soaring Eagles begin the campaign on Saturday, March 3, with a 6:00 p.m. bout against SUNY New Paltz at the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex in Binghamton, New York.

The 2018 roster features 13 upperclassmen; eight seniors and five juniors. In addition to the knowledge they provide, Tardif is looking forward to showcasing their athletic abilities.

"Collectively it is an athletic class, which is its strong suit," Tardif stated. "We look forward to using this athleticism to our advantage as the season progresses."

Tardif also expressed optimism with the progression with the newcomers on the team. The Purple and Gold added four new players, who will compete for playing time early on this year.

"I am excited for everyone on the team to make an immediate contribution to the team this year," Coach Tardif said. "All of the newcomers bring their own experiences to the team, which should provide the program new skills that it might not have had otherwise."
 
Attack
The attacking core of the Soaring Eagles features a strong contingent of seasoned student-athletes. Leading this group is junior Hayley Baker '19, who paced the team with 38 points and 27 goals last year, despite being hampered by an injury late in the year. Senior Kyra McDonald '18 will also be critical to EC's offensive success, as she returns at the team's fourth-leading scorer from last year (18p-15g-3a). Fellow senior Louisa Lippiatt Durnell '18 was another threat on Elmira's attack in 2017, as she tallied nine points on three goals and six assists in 13 appearances.

Sophomore Rachael Goetz '19 was outstanding in her first collegiate campaign, as she was second on EC last year with 20 goals and third with 22 points. The Lake View, New York, native stands to see a big jump in her second campaign, as she will feature prominently in the offensive game plan.

The duo of Claire Baker '19, and Danielle Goddard '20 will provide valuable depth on the EC attack. Baker and Goddard combined to make nine appearances in 2017.

Midfield
Similar to the Purple and Gold's attacking group, upperclassmen make up the majority of their midfielders. Rachel Grampp '18 and Sarah Hughson '18, who are also members of EC's national-ranked women's ice hockey team, highlight Elmira's middies. Grampp paced all returning midfielders with 16 points (8g-8a) in her first season playing collegiate lacrosse last year. Hughson was not far behind, as she tallied 10 points (7g-3a) in 2017. In addition to her offensive success, Hughson had one of the best defensive performances in program history last year with 36 caused turnovers, the fourth-highest single-season total in program history. With 76 career caused turnovers, the East Haddam, Connecticut, native is fifth on the program's all-time leaderboard.

In addition to Grammp and Hughson, Mae Dinh '19 also brings dependability to the Soaring Eagles' midfield, as she has appeared in 26 contests over the last two seasons. She broke out in 2017 with career highs in points (8), goals (6), and assists (2).

To compliment Elmira's veteran core, the additions of Mya Miller '19, Gyllian Smith '18, and Anna Brewer '21 will make a drastic difference on the team. Miller comes to EC after two seasons at Onondaga Community College, one of the most successful junior-college programs in the nation. Miller helped guide the Lazers to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Championship Tournaments, reaching the title game as a freshman in 2016. As a sophomore, the Six Nations, Ontario, native posted career numbers with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists.
 
Defense
On defense, the Soaring Eagles return two starters from a year ago in Kelcey Crawford '18 and Kate Gibson '20. Crawford, the starting goalie of the EC ice hockey team, relishes her time out of the crease, as she is one of the most tenacious defenders in the Empire 8 Conference. The two-time E8 All-Conference Second Teamer enters 2018 with 104 ground balls and 55 caused turnovers in her career. Last season the product of Purcellville, Virginia, tallied four points (3g-1a), in addition to causing 30 turnovers, the seventh-most by a Soaring Eagle in a single season. Gibson, on the other hand, made 14 starts in her first collegiate campaign and recorded 17 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Macy Huntley '18 was also a staple on the EC defense, being the lone returning defender to start all 15 games in 2017, in addition to posting two points (1g-1a) and recording 10 ground balls. 

Kayla Cutting '20, Kiersta Pino '18, and Jena Gatto '20 will each contend for the final two defensive spots this season. Cutting made 13 appearances as a rookie a year ago, which included one start. Pino enters her final collegiate season with 14 games under belt. Gatto made two appearances as a rookie, one of which was a start.
 
Goalie
With the graduation of EC's all-time saves leader Lindsay Wargo '17, Tardif will have to pick between senior Payton Rusin '18 and freshman Kacie Pierce '21 to fill those shoes. Rusin has played 327:14 minutes across seven games her two years donning the Purple and Gold. Pierce, on the other hand, played at East Aurora High School, where she won a Section VI Class D Championship and was crowned a Class D First-Team All-Star in her senior season.

"Both goalies have made great strides during the preseason," Tardif said. "They have been working hard with Assistant Coach Lauren Silva in practice. They are motivated and excited to do well this season. However, we will miss Lindsay Wargo and all that she brought to the program."
 
Season Opener
The Soaring Eagles begin the 2018 campaign against SUNY New Paltz, a team they squared off against in 2017. The opening draw control for the tilt is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Greater Binghamton Sports Complex. The Hawks come into the new season in a state of transformation, as three of the team's five leading scorers graduated this past spring. This will have a drastic effect on a New Paltz team that ranked last in the nine-team State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in goals per game (7.57) last season. Elmira holds a 2-1 advantage over its cross-state foe, as last year's 13-7 setback stands as EC's first-ever loss to the Hawks.