Score: Elmira College 2, The Sage Colleges 1
Records: Elmira (3-6, 1-2 E8), Sage (2-7, 0-3 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center -- Pine Valley, N.Y.

PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College field hockey team earned its first Empire 8 Conference win of the year on Saturday afternoon at the Murray Athletic Center, as the Soaring Eagles topped The Sage Colleges by a 2-1 final score.

The victory is the second in as many games for the Purple and Gold, who improved to 3-6 overall and 1-2 against E8 competition. Including a non-conference win over Wells College on Tuesday, the Soaring Eagles have outscored their last two opponents 8-1, this after depositing just one goal in the six games prior.

Despite playing a woman down for much of the contest, the Soaring Eagles outmatched the visiting Gators, finishing with a 10-to-6 lead in shots and a sizable 12-3 advantage in penalty corners. The playing field was leveled in the second half, however, as Sage was issued both a green and yellow card late in the contest.

EC's first goal came in the eighth minute of action. Expecting a foul call, a Sage defender eased off of the ball, and a quick-thinking Kelsie Aloi '21 was there to swat it to Janie Kempf '21 inside the arc. Kempf then swung the ball towards the cage, and just before Sage goalie Abigayle Greier got a blocker on it, Aloi was able to poke it through for the score.

The lead lasted for 10-and-a-half minutes, before the Gators took advantage of an unforced turnover in the Elmira zone. Senior Diane LeRoy '19 lost her footing on the slick grassy pitch just outside the scoring arc, leaving the ball open on the right-wing side for the Gators. A pair of passes centered the ball to Sara O'Connor, who was able to sneak a shot past Tina O'Donnell '20 to even the score at 1-all in the 18th minute.

Elmira regained the lead for good in the 49th minute after a green card was assessed to Sage's Brooke Perry, resulting in one of EC's 11 second-half penalty corners. Liz Shephard '21 inserted the ball to Aloi atop the circle, who then found Mae Dinh '19 in front of the cage for the go-ahead tally.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Lauren Silva on winning back-to-back games...
"It was a very exciting day to string together our first win streak of the season, as well as a conference win. Both are allowing us to continue building confidence in ourselves and momentum for the season."

News and Notes

• Elmira won its second consecutive game and improved to 3-6 overall.
• Saturday's win over Sage was EC's first Empire 8 victory of the 2018 campaign.
• The Soaring Eagles lead the all-time series against the Gators, 1-0, after taking the inaugural meeting.
• Aloi's three points are a single-game season-high, and she has a combined five points in the last two contests.
• Dinh has also scored goals in each of the last two games, while the score against Sage is the first game-winner of her career.
• Kempf's assist marks the first of her sophomore campaign.
• O'Donnell needed just one save to secure her third win of the season.

Up Next
Elmira's three-game homestand continues with a non-conference matchup against The College at Brockport on Wednesday, October 3. The Soaring Eagles and Golden Eagles will face off at 4:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center.