Elmira, N.Y. - The Elmira College women's soccer team opened its 2026 campaign by welcoming the Golden Tornadoes of Geneva College to Campus Field for a non-conference matchup. It was a tale of two halves, as a strong first half from the Soaring Eagles gave EC a 1-0 lead at halftime, but two second-half goals from Geneva saw Elmira fall short.
LEADERS
Bella Thomas scored the first goal of the new season for the Soaring Eagles, tallying four shots and two on goal. Amelia Sacratini recorded an assist and put 4 shots on goal.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Purple & Gold started on the front foot, winning a corner in the opening minute before recording the first four shots of the game. Geneva's first shot was saved by Sarah Cantrell 17 minutes into the match. Strong link-up play from EC resulted in a chance for Brooke Wilcox, but the Geneva goalkeeper made a strong save to keep the game scoreless. Elmira continued to control possession and limit chances against. Amelia Sacratini's shot from distance forced a save that led to an Elmira corner kick. Sacratini then found Bella Thomas on the ensuing delivery, and Thomas buried it into the back of the net in the final minute of the first half to give the Soaring Eagles a 1-0 lead at the break.
The Golden Tornadoes made a strong push to start the second half and were rewarded with an equalizer just 90 seconds into the period. They kept the momentum going, taking a 2-1 lead 10 minutes later on a perfect strike from 20 yards out. As EC looked to level the score, the Geneva defense did well to stifle chances from the Soaring Eagles. Elmira made a push over the final 10 minutes but could not find an equalizer, falling 2-1 after 90 minutes of play.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will travel to Williamsport to face the Pennsylvania College of Technology in a non-conference battle on Saturday, September 5 at 1:00 PM.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Elmira College Athletics, please visit athletics.elmira.edu. Follow us on Twitter - @ECSoaringEagles, Instagram - @ecsoaringeagles, YouTube - @ECSoaringEagles, and Facebook by searching Elmira College Athletics.
