ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team earned its seventh victory, and sixth clean sheet, of the 2019 campaign on a sunny Tuesday afternoon by defeating visiting Wells College, 2-0.
 
The Soaring Eagles (7-3-2) controlled the game with a concentrated effort on offense, outshooting the Express (4-8-0) by a 10-shot margin, 18-8. EC's high-press also yielded six corner-kick opportunities, compared to the four that were granted to Wells.
 
Captain Jake Meyer '21 delivered the first strike of the game in the 23rd minute to hand the Purple and Gold a 1-0 first-half lead. A foul on the Express set up a direct free kick for the Soaring Eagles at the top of the 18-yard box. Ali Rodriguez '23 created a diversion by stepping over the ball, before Meyer curled it around the wall and into the left-side netting for the goal.
 
Meyer's goal held up through the first half, but not without EC attempting a slew of shots in the final portion of the half. Elmira outshot Wells, 8-0, in the closing 22 minutes, five of which were logged in the closing nine minutes.
 
Wells came out of the halftime break looking to equalize, but a lack of execution in the defensive third by the Express helped the Soaring Eagles secure their second goal of the contest.
 
After failing to clear the ball on a handful of chances, rookie Donovan Sewell '23 stole the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and raced past the last line of defense to set up a one-on-one with Wells netminder Kingsley Ehling. Ehling was forced to come off of his line to challenge Sewell, but the Atlanta, Georgia, native caught Ehling off-balance by striking the ball quickly to the left corner for the tally.
 
Sewell's goal proved to be more than enough for the Elmira men, who marched away with a clinical 2-0 victory over Wells.
 
In His Own Words
Head Coach Kevin Brenner reflects on today's performance…
"It was a solid team win this afternoon! We needed to make a statement and bounce back from Saturday's defeat. We were able to play a lot of players today, which showed our depth along with controlling the game. We will carry this momentum into Saturday's big E8 match. I'm looking forward to a great crowd at Campus Field."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira produced its sixth clean sheet of the 2019 campaign.
• EC logged its fifth clean-sheet victory of the season.
• Elmira secured its seventh win of the year, the most the program has amassed since 2015.
• The Soaring Eagles are 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
• Sewell scored his fourth goal of the season, tied for second-most on the team.
• Meyer produced his second tally of the 2019 campaign.
• Xavier Townsend '23 made three saves en route to his sixth win (6-2-1).
• Townsend recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action this Saturday, October 12, when they host the Saxons of Alfred University in Empire 8 Conference action. The opening kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Campus Field.