ELMIRA, N.Y. -- On the heels of the winningest season of Elmira College field hockey in the last 14 years, armed with a roster that features seven newcomers and the guidance of a new head coach, the Soaring Eagles are poised an exciting 2019 fall campaign.

Jessica Franklin, EC's first-year bench boss, returns to the Empire 8 Conference after earning four varsity letters as a member of the Utica College field hockey team. Most recently, Franklin was an assistant at Limestone College, a Division II institution in Gaffney, South Carolina, where she helped the Saints achieve a 14-win season and claim the inaugural South Atlantic Conference Carolinas title.

Having won a pair of E8 Championships during her playing days, Franklin is eager to raise the bar at Elmira in her first go-round as a head coach.

"Elmira's always been a tough team, but I'm excited to work with this group of girls," she added.

The Purple and Gold were victorious on six occasions in 2018, tied for the fourth-most single-season wins in program history. But EC had to overcome many significant obstacles, mainly being limited by a roster of 11. However, this year's team has welcomed seven fresh faces to the lineup, which will provide the much-needed depth the Soaring Eagles greatly missed last season.

"The girls know what they can do with a small roster, so having a few subs this season is really great," Franklin said. "They really want to achieve more than they did last year. They had a great record last year, the best one in a couple of years, and they're just looking to build the program."

Another reason the EC faithful can expect the Soaring Eagles to continue their upward trend will be the leadership provided by an experienced and battle-tested group of upperclassmen. That includes a pair of seniors in Emily Selbert '20 and Tina O'Donnell '20 and third-year standouts Janie Kempf '21, Kelsie Aloi '21, Liz Shephard '21 and Holly Karalus '21. While O'Donnell took over as the everyday starter in the cage for the first time in 2018, the other five upperclassmen have been fixtures in the starting lineup since they first stepped foot on campus.

"The returners really take a leadership role," Franklin explained. "They're good at getting the newcomers and freshmen up to speed at practice and in drills. It shows that they have good communication with their team and they build each other up."

Forward
Elmira's forward line is perhaps the youngest position group. Five players are vying for minutes, highlighted by two returners in Aloi and Kaylee Gill '22. Aloi, a junior from Moravia, was tied on the 2018 squad for third in points (8) and the team won all three games in which she tallied a goal. Gill made 16 starts in her debut season and netted her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 road victory over Brockport.

Outside of Aloi and Gill, three first-year forwards will be in the mix. Felicity Brockhuizen '22 was a two-sport student-athlete during her prep days at Palmyra-Macedon High School in Palmyra, New York. A member of the EC softball team in the spring, she's now adding field hockey to her slate as a sophomore.

Brockhuizen joins first-year student-athletes Sarah Griffith '23 and Kylie Rosen '23 as options for Franklin to utilize on the front line. As a senior at Williamsville North High School in Williamsville, New York, Rosen helped her field hockey team reach the state title game in the fall and secured a state championship with the ice hockey program in the winter.

"The freshmen we brought in are very talented and aggressive," Franklin said. "We have Kaylee and Kelsie that are going to be on the forward line and working with them. We have to put goals in the back of the cage, and they're very good at that."

Midfield
Kempf and Selbert will spearhead Elmira's midfield corps. The other three middies are each entering their first collegiate seasons, but have a pair of knowledgeable teammates to teach them the tools of the trade.

In Kempf, the Soaring Eagles have a dynamic individual who can fill a variety of roles. The New Woodstock, New York, native has led the team in scoring in each of her first two seasons and is already tied for 10th on EC's all-time scoring list with 31 points. When dribbling the ball out of the defensive half of the field, the junior has the athleticism to race coast-to-coast and dodge her way through heavy traffic. Opposing defenses often dedicate more than one marker to covering Kempf, who would love to repeat the 19-point freshman season that earned her an Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team bid.

"She's just a great player to have on the field," Franklin said of Kempf. "She's very supportive of the other girls, but she also works extremely hard. She raises the bar during drills, so everyone has to meet up with her and her skill level."

Selbert is a vocal leader in the midfield. A capable scorer, she can generate serious power behind her drag flicks, making her dangerous from atop the arc on penalty corners. Last season, she established new career highs in both points (8) and assists (4) to go along with a pair of goals. But Selbert is also a fierce competitor on the defensive end of the field and will be key in transitioning the ball across the midline.

"She has a great personality for leadership," Franklin said. "She makes practices very fun and lively, but she works extremely hard in drills. She's very intense and aggressive, and she's very vocal on the field, so people listen to her."

The trio of Hannah Whittier '23, Frankie Puglisi '23, and Jenna Heiser '23 will push each other as rookies. Whittier trekked to the Southern Tier from Sutton, Massachusetts, where she starred for Sutton High School. As the team's only senior in 2018, she helped lead the Suzies to a 12-3-4 overall record. Puglisi was a three-sport athlete at East Rochester High School in East Rochester, New York, and as a junior with the Bombers, she earned All-County accolades. Heiser garnered Niagara-Orleans All-League Honorable Mention as a senior for the league runner-up, Royalton-Hartland High School, in Middleport, New York.

Defense
Elmira's defensive unit is arguably the team's most talented group this fall. That's because three of the four defenders are returning starters and one – Shephard – enters her junior campaign after receiving Empire 8 All-Conference Honorable Mention honors last season.

Shephard logged 1,200 minutes on the field in 2018 and has started all 34 games since her freshman season. Perhaps the most impressive part of her game is an uncanny ability to break up opposing runs with her excellent block tackling technique. A product of Cazenovia, New York, Shephard was also utilized as EC's main injector on penalty corners, which are a vital source of offense for the Soaring Eagles.

"Liz is extremely intelligent on and off of the field," Franklin stated. "She sees the circle and where she needs to get the ball out, and communicates with her defense. She has an extremely strong stick and gets the ball out of the circle almost every time."

Lining up alongside Shephard on the backline will be Karalus and second-year talent Kristen Tull '22. As a freshman, Tull led all Soaring Eagles with five defensive saves, just two shy of the conference leader. Karalus also picked up her first defensive save last season while leading all field players with over 1,200 minutes on the pitch.

Like her sister, Alex Brockhuizen '22 has enlisted with the field hockey program for 2019. A shortstop for the EC softball team during the spring months, Brockhuizen may be new to the game, but can provide valuable minutes off of the bench.

"Our defensive unit is really strong," Franklin said. "They've worked together before, so I'm hoping to build on the skills they already have. They're going to be a force on the field, and I'm trying to build them so that they believe they are a force and can build off of what they did last year."

Goalkeeper
There's no doubting who will occupy the cage for the Purple and Gold. O'Donnell took over as a full-time starter for the first time as a junior, and the pride of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, proved she's more than ready for the spotlight. A two-time Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week selection, O'Donnell posted a 3.54 goals-against average and a .783 save percentage while making a whopping 220 saves. That total is the third-highest in program single-season history and had O'Donnell ranked fifth in all of Division III with 12.94 saves per game.

"Tina is fantastic," exclaimed Franklin. "She's very motivated. She's our captain, and she builds the team up and leads them with a fun atmosphere, but gets the girls going when they need to."

It's worth noting that in 2019, EC will not be forced to play shorthanded like it did several times last fall, which will go a long way in helping the Soaring Eagles protect their goalie. That will make things easier for O'Donnell, but that doesn't mean she'll let her guard down in the slightest.

Season Opener
 For the second consecutive season, Elmira and King's College (Pa.) will square off in the season opener. On Friday, August 30, EC will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, for its first trip to the Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex since 2009.

In 2018, the Soaring Eagles dethroned the Monarchs by a 4-1 final score at the Murray Athletic Center. King's went on to win eight games last year and placed fifth in the MAC Freedom standings, missing out on a postseason berth by a single game.

The Monarchs graduated three of their top four point-getters from a year ago, including Kelsey Gabriele, a three-time All-MAC Freedom honoree. Jolee Treslar will look to fill Gabriele's shoes after totaling 16 points (6g-4a) as a sophomore. A fellow rising junior, Brianne Maluda, should resume her starting role as the team's goalie. Maluda had a 2.19 goals-against average on the season, but made just two stops and allowed four goals against the Soaring Eagles.