ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team will take a short hiatus from Empire 8 Conference play today for a midweek bout against Kean University. The contest will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Kean Alumni Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles dropped a hard-fought 14-2 decision to Alfred University in EC's E8-opener on March 24. Elmira's defense was staunch in the first half, keeping the Saxons, the second-highest scoring team in the league, scoreless for the first quarter and allowing just three goals in the first 30 minutes. Freshman
Jacob Mattice '21 made 10 saves in the opening half, 17 for the game, in his second collegiate start.
Austin Spiridilozzi '20 and
Cam Brickey '19 were also keys to EC's defensive success, as they each accounted for a team-high four caused turnovers in the game. Brickey also picked up a team-leading 10 groundballs in the bout, closely followed by
Kevin DiMagno '20 with eight. DiMagno and
Nevin Olney '18 finished the contest as Elmira's two goal scorers.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
DiMagno, a sophomore midfielder, is having the best season of his career in 2018. After playing just four games as a freshman, the Fairport, New York, native has already posted career-best marks in goals (2), groundballs (26), faceoff wins (19) and caused turnovers (5). Since DiMagno took over as Elmira's primary faceoff option against SUNY Oneonta on March 17, EC tallied double-digit faceoff wins in two consecutive games, a mark that it logged just three times in 2017. DiMagno, who also plays for the EC men's ice hockey team has been one of the best players in the conference as corralling groundballs, as his 8.67 groundballs-per-game average leads the E8.
SCOUTING KEAN
The Cougars are off to a fantastic start to the 2018 campaign, as they are 5-2 overall. The two losses came against the College of Wooster (17-8) and Colorado College (21-2) during a road trip to Colorado this season. Kean's most recent bout was a thrilling 9-8 overtime win over Delaware Valley University on Saturday, March 24. It has maintained a balanced effort this season to fuel its success. The Cougars have scored 9.0 goals per game, while its opponents are averaging 9.6 goals. Junior midfielder Mike Snellen paces the team with 23 points (11g-12a). Fellow junior Tyler Roberto has been the Cougars' most effective attacker, as he leads the team with 15 goals. Junior goaltender Ryan Sieb has started all seven games for Kean and has logged 54 saves, an 8.11 goals-against average and a .529 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
Today's bout will mark the first all-time meeting between the Soaring Eagles and Cougars. Kean joins Keystone College as the two teams on the docket for 2018 that Elmira will meet for the first time this year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Elmira men return to Empire 8 action on Saturday, March 31, with a road tilt against Utica College. The contest will is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
