ELMIRA, NY. – Elmira men's soccer hosted its first-ever Empire 8 tournament game at Campus Field on a chilly Wednesday afternoon when it took on Hartwick in the tournament semifinals. After a scoreless 90 minutes, the Soaring Eagles netted the winner on a Konstantinos Triantafillou '27 goal in the second overtime period to send the Purple & Gold to the Empire 8 championship final.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 1, Hartwick 0 (2 OT)
LOCATION: Elmira, N.Y. | Campus Field
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (7-6-4, 5-0-3 E8), Alfred (8-5-4, 4-2-2 E8)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Elmira started the match conceding two shots on goal in the first five minutes, with goalkeeper Juan Carlos Cruz Gandia '27 saving them both.
• EC's first shot came in the 41st minute from Jose Navea Corporan '27, who collected the ball near the left touchline before cutting inside and beating the Hawk defender. The midfielder got a shot off, but Hartwick blocked his effort.
• That was the only shot of the half for the Soaring Eagles, and both teams went into the break locked in a 0-0 draw.
• The second half started well for Elmira, who nearly found the opener on a Martin Harguindey '26 shot off a Corporan cross in the 49th minute. Harguindey stretched out his right foot and redirected the ball towards goal, but the Hartwick goalkeeper was able to tip the effort over the bar for a corner.
• Harguindey had another chance less than a minute later off an Elmira corner when he headed a dangerous ball towards the back post, but it landed out of the reach of Kerfalla Toure '26 and went out for a goal kick.
• Elmira's next look at goal came in the 55th minute when Toure lost his man on an Elmira corner and had a free header at the near post but put the effort wide for a Hartwick goal kick.
• Corporan nearly got Elmira on the board in the 76th minute when he pounced on a miscontrolled touch by a Hartwick defender, striking the ball first time and forcing a diving save from the Hartwick goalkeeper to keep the match scoreless.
• That was Elmira's last look at goal of the half, and despite outshooting the Hawks in the second half 6-2, the game remained scoreless at the end of regulation, and the game went to overtime.
• EC had another opportunity to open the scoring five minutes into the first overtime period when Harguindey was pulled down near the top left corner of the penalty box, giving the Soaring Eagles a free kick in a promising area. Corporan took the free kick, nearly bending the ball into the far corner, but Hartwick stopped the attempt, and the ball rolled just outside the post for an Elmira corner.
• The first overtime period ended without a goal from either side, and the Soaring Eagles went into another 10 minutes of play.
• Elmira won a free kick under four minutes into the second overtime period when Harguindey was fouled just outside the midfield circle. Jhoan Chavez '26 took the free kick and sent his delivery into the box over the head of a Hartwick player and to the feet of Triantafillou. The Elmira defender flicked the ball over the Hartwick player marking him, and beat the onrushing goalkeeper to the ball, poking it into the back of the net with an outstretched right foot and giving Elmira its first goal of the match.
• Elmira held on to its lead for the rest of the overtime period, keeping Hartwick from finding the equalizer and securing the 1-0 victory to send the Soaring Eagles to their second-ever Empire 8 championship final.
• Corporan led the Purple & Gold with four shots in the match, with one on goal. Harguindey was the other Soaring Eagle with multiple attempts, putting one of his two shots on target. 
• Cruz Gandia kept the Hawks scoreless, saving three Hartwick shots and recording his seventh clean sheet of the season.

UP NEXT: 
The Soaring Eagles will host the Empire 8 championship final on Saturday, November 4, at 1:00 p.m., where they will take on the #2-seeded Cardinals of St. John Fisher at Campus Field.