GEORGETOWN, Texas --The Elmira College women's lacrosse team fell in its 2020 season opener on Monday evening, as the Soaring Eagles were upended by the Pirates of Southwestern University.

A big first half from Southwestern (2-1) made the difference, as EC (0-1) was unable to overcome the Pirates lead. The Purple and Gold's offense was supplied by Mikayla Carfello '22 and Rachael Goetz '20, who tallied two goals apiece. Krystyna Lilland '22 got the start in goal and made six saves over 60 minutes of action.

The Soaring Eagles struck first on the turf in Georgetown, Texas, as last season's leading scorer, Carfello, opened her ledger just 1:09 seconds into the contest. Despite the early marker, the Pirates (2-1) answered with a goal from Haley Hurt just over a minute later. The home side found a groove from there, as Southwestern scored 12 unanswered goals to race ahead of the Purple and Gold. Carfello halted the Pirates' barrage with 10 seconds left in the half, as she whipped a shot past Southwestern's Tessa Lewis.

Elmira traded goals with Southwestern early in the second half, as Goetz netted her first goal of the season. The Pirates continued to control the ball, however, as EC was held scoreless for the next 12 minutes. Goetz broke the drought with over eight minutes left to play with her second tally of the evening, but the Purple and Gold weren't able to build from there as Southwestern's early lead was too much to overcome.

News and Notes

• This evening's contest was the first-ever meeting between the Soaring Eagles and the Pirates.
• Elmira went a perfect 5-for-5 on its clear attempts.
• The Purple and Gold were 1-for-3 on their free-position chances, while Southwestern was 5-for-9.
• Carfello and Goetz scored two goals apiece.
• Katelyn Kantor '23, Alex Cox '23, and Frankie Puglisi '23 made their collegiate debuts.
• Jena Gatto '20 won a team-best four draw controls.
• Tina O'Donnell '20 picked up a team-high three ground balls

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles remain in the Lone Star State for their next contest on Tuesday, February 19, when they battle the University of Dallas at 5:00 p.m. ET.