MARCY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team put on a valiant second-half comeback attempt on Wednesday evening against SUNY Poly, but the Wildcats held on for a 15-9 non-conference win over the Soaring Eagles.

Down by 11 at halftime, Elmira (1-2) doubled-up SUNY Poly (1-0) in the second half, as the Soaring Eagles outscored the Wildcats 8-4 in the final 30 minutes. Senior Rachael Goetz '20 led the charge with EC's first four goals in the second stanza, which brought the team with eight at 13-5 with 17:53 to play.

Trailing 14-5 inside the final 12-and-a-half minutes, fourth-year midfielder Kate Gibson '20 potted the first of her two goals in the contest to spark a run of four unanswered tallies. Goetz found the back of the net for the fifth time at the 8:11 mark, and less than a minute later, Gibson cashed in again to whittle the deficit down to 14-8.

Making her collegiate debut, Taylor Johnson '23 scored the first goal of her rookie season to make it a five-goal difference, 14-9, with two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock. However, the Wildcats won the last two draw controls and added one more goal in the final two minutes to seal the win in their 2020 season-opener.

News and Notes

• Elmira was outshot as a team by SUNY Poly, 34-to-20.
• The Wildcats also finished the game with an advantage in draw controls, 20-to-9.
• Five different players earned a point for EC, including three multi-point producers.
• Goetz led all Soaring Eagles with five goals, followed by Gibson with two.
• First-year attacker Kendra Health '23 posted three assists.
• Mikayla Carfello '22 and Johnson each added one goal.
• Johnson's goal was the first of her career.
• In goal, Krystyna Lilland '21 and Alex Cox '23 each played one half, with Lilland earning 10 of the team's 13 saves.

Up Next
On Tuesday, March 3, the Soaring Eagles will travel to Morrisville, New York, for a non-conference tilt against the Morrisville State Mustangs at 4:00 p.m.