Score: Hartwick College 6, Elmira College 0
Records: Elmira (1-4, 0-1 E8), Hartwick (4-1, 1-0 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center -- Pine Valley, N.Y.

PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- Elmira College field hockey hosted the Hawks of Hartwick College on Saturday afternoon at the Murray Athletic Center, where the visitors earned a 6-0 victory in the 2018 Empire 8 Conference opener.

The Hawks controlled possession, and when the Elmira offense was able to carry the ball deep into the zone, Hartwick countered with long runs by its fleet-footed forward unit. Hartwick finished with a wide margin in shots, 40-to-6, although the penalty corner total was much closer at 13-to-8.

The Purple and Gold thwarted the Hawks on their first two penalty corners, as junior goalkeeper Tina O'Donnell '20 made four saves in the first four-and-a-half minutes of action. However, the third time was a charm for Hartwick, which took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute, as Allyson Quirk tipped the ball into the cage following another penalty corner.

EC threatened to tie the score shortly thereafter, earning back-to-back penalty corners in the 15th and 17th minutes. Janie Kempf '21 and classmate Kelsie Aloi '21 each produced a shot on the set pieces, but Hartwick's Allyson Osborne stood tall in the cage to deny the Soaring Eagles on both attempts.

Trailing 3-0 at the break, Elmira opened the second half with another series of penalty corners. Mae Dinh '19 was able to put a shot on target in the 40th minute, but once again Osborne was there to make a blocker save. In the 42nd minute, Aloi had an opportunity, but her shot went wide of the cage.

Although O'Donnell surrendered three addition goals in the loss, the Kutztown, Pennsylvania, product made 13 saves in the second half, increasing her total to a career-high 23. She's made 20-plus saves in consecutive games and continues to lead the Empire 8 with 18.20 saves per game.

News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Empire 8 play.
• EC tied a single-game season-high with eight penalty corners.
• Aloi took a season-high two shots against the Hawks.
• O'Donnell made a career-high 23 saves, giving her 20-plus saves in consecutive starts.
• O'Donnell paces all goalies in the E8 with 18.20 saves per game and is third with a .827 save percentage.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles open a season-long three-game road trip on Wednesday, September 19, when the EC women travel to La Plume, Pennsylvania, for a non-conference meeting against Keystone College. The contest is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.