ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's soccer team extended its win streak to three consecutive games by downing The Sage Colleges, 1-0, in the 2019 Empire 8 Conference opener at the Albany School of Pharmacy's turf field on Saturday afternoon.

The Soaring Eagles (5-2-1, 1-0-0 E8) were limited to just six shots, but Mark Brado Jr. '22 made the most of his attempt in the 22nd minute. On a set-piece, Jake Meyer '21 played the ball through into the box, where Adam Nichols '20 was able to collect it and fire it on target. Although Nichols' attempt was saved, Brado crashed in from the right side for the put-back and the game's lone goal.

With the lead in hand, first-year goalkeeper Xavier Townsend '23 went to work. The freshman from Queensland, Australia, recorded his third straight clean sheet by making all six of his saves in the second half. Sage (3-4-0, 0-1-0 E8) midfielder Rafael-Enrique Holquin tested the EC goalie with back-to-back shots in the 49th and 50th minutes, but the first rang off of the crossbar and Townsend smothered the second opportunity.

Scrambling for an equalizer, the final six minutes saw the Gators earned a pair of corners, but a shot from Jeaneste Pierre in the 85th minute went wide and John Locicero's header in the 86h minute sailed high. The EC defense held on in the closing minutes to seal the victory.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Kevin Brenner on his team's performance in the win over Sage…
"I can't say enough about the tremendous effort, energy, passion, and desire the entire team showed today, getting three huge points on the road against a very difficult Sage team that was well organized defensively. The Empire 8 has a lot of parity in it, and it's always going to be a battle. We showed a ton of resiliency today and continued to be water-tight defensively."

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 5-2-1 overall and opened E8 play with a 1-0-0 record.
• The Soaring Eagles hadn't won three consecutive games since the 2012 campaign, when they opened with eight straight wins, although the 2015 squad pieced together a nine-game unbeaten streak (5-0-4).
• EC won its Empire 8 opener for the first time since starting the 2016 conference slate with a victory over Utica College.
• Townsend has started his collegiate career with a 4-1-0 record, the best start by a rookie since Kevin Huggins '16 won five of his first six decisions in 2012.
• Brado's goal is the second of his career.
• Nichols' assist marked his team-leading fourth of the season and upped his point total to a team-best 12 (4g-4a).

Up Next
The EC men will hit the road again on Wednesday, September 25, as the Soaring Eagles are set for a non-league match against SUNY Delhi in Delhi, New York, at 4:00 p.m.