Score: Elmira College 9, Wells College 8
Records: Elmira (1-3), Wells (1-3)
Location: Wells Turf Field -- Aurora, N.Y.

AURORA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team posted its first win of the 2019 campaign on Wednesday afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles defeated Wells College, 9-8, in a non-conference road matchup. The win is not only the first for the Soaring Eagles this spring, but it marks the first for head coach Brendan Gorman, who's amidst his debut season at the helm of the Purple and Gold.

Freshman attackman Sam Shaw '22 paced Elmira with a single-game season-high six goals, the most scored by a Soaring Eagle in the past two years. Shaw, a rookie from Portland, Maine, netted the game's first goal at 10:27 in the opening quarter and completed his hat trick with a man-up goal at 12:27 in the third. He was also responsible for the game-winning tally, as he broke an 8-all draw with his final score with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.

In addition to Shaw, James Mayer '20 amassed a career-high three points (2g-1a), and Spencer MacLean '20 (1g) buried his first goal of the year. Senior midfielder John Broyles '19 (1a) rounded out the scoring for EC with one point on an assist.

Leading 3-2 in the second, Mayer and Shaw combined to score three in a row, bridging the two halves and giving the Soaring Eagles a 6-2 advantage. The Express, however, recorded five of the next six goals, and Padraic Iannello knotted the score at 7-all a mere 34 seconds into the final period.

Mayer's second goal of the afternoon gave Elmira a brief lead, 8-7, but Nathan Ramsey evened the game, this time at 8-8, a mere 73 seconds later. After Shaw's game-winning goal was scored at the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter, Mattice was able to secure the win by making three of his game-high 15 saves. His final stop came with just 16 seconds left on the clock.

In Their Own Words...
First-year head coach Brendan Gorman when asked how it feels to get the first win of the season...
"A win always feels good, but the first one is certainly special.

Coach Gorman on grinding out a one-goal victory in a close game on the road...
"I'm proud of the boys for sticking together. We had a couple of guys out with injury and a couple go down during the game, but everyone pulled together to get the 'W'."

Coach Gorman shares his thoughts on Sam Shaw's six-goal outing...
"The team worked hard to get Sam the ball where he can be dangerous and Sam made the big plays that he is capable of making."

News and Notes

• Elmira won its first game of the season and improved to 1-3 through the first four games.
• Gorman earned his first win in his first season at EC.
• Shaw scored a career-high six goals, the most by a Soaring Eagle since Anthony LaRusso '17 matched the feat against Houghton College on March 29, 2017.
• Mayer registered multiple points for the second consecutive game with a career-high three (2g-1a) against the Express.
• MacLean's goal is his first career point.
• Cam Brickey '19 had a team-best seven ground balls and caused two turnovers.
• Austin Spiridilozzi '20 caused a game- and career-best five turnovers.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will host SUNY Oneonta at nearby Notre Dame High School at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16.