ALFRED, N.Y. -- A full 365 days since the team last competed, Elmira College men's lacrosse opened its 2021 season with a 24-7 loss on the road against Empire 8 Conference rival Alfred University.

Seven different players earned at least one point for the Soaring Eagles (0-1), led by Sam Shaw '22, Sam Crary '23, and Matt Daley '24 with two points apiece. Crary and Daley each netted two goals, while Shaw contributed one man-up goal and one assist.

Like Daley, Brennan Bitely '24 and Eben Thrasher '23 each netted their first collegiate goals. Ryan Durkee '23 and Cameron Lambert '21 rounded out Elmira's offense, as each player handed out one assist.

Alfred (1-0), which outshot EC 66-to-22, kept senior goalie Jacob Mattice '21 busy throughout the 60 minutes. For the eighth time in his career with the Purple and Gold, Mattice surpassed the 20-save plateau, finishing Thursday night with 22 stops. The Canton, New York, native also paced the Soaring Eagles with six ground balls.

News and Notes

• Thursday's game was the first for Elmira in a year; EC's last contest was a 9-7 win over Wells on March 11, 2020.
• Bitely, Daley, Thrasher, Jay Uebelacker '24, Hayden Sachel '24, and David Frederick '24 each debuted with the Soaring Eagles in their first career outing against Alfred.
• The Soaring Eagles only committed one penalty while converting 2-of-6 man-up opportunities.
• Daley and Crary each scored a team-high two goals.
• Daley recorded both of his goals in the fourth quarter, as the freshman had back-to-back tallies 2:29 apart.
• Isaac Gottheil '22 had a team-leading three caused turnovers and scooped four ground balls.
• Mattice made 22 saves, collected six ground balls, and caused one turnover.
• Alfred's Justin Mosher led all scorers in the game with nine points (7g-2a).

Up Next
Elmira travels to Batavia, New York, on Wednesday, March 17, when the Soaring Eagles challenge the Cougars from Genesee Community College at 6:00 p.m.