Kennedy-Butler's Hat Trick Guides Field Hockey to 4-1 Victory vs. King's
Score: Elmira College 4, King's College (Pa.) 1
Records: Elmira (1-0), King's (0-1)
Location: Pine Valley, N.Y. -- Murray Athletic Center
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- Spurred by a career performance from fourth-year forward Matilda Kennedy-Butler '19, the Elmira College field hockey team opened the 2018 season with an exciting 4-1 victory over the visiting Monarchs of King's College (Pa.) at the Murray Athletic Center on Friday evening.
Kennedy-Butler, who entered Friday's non-conference tilt with just one point in 50 games played, turned in the best game of her collegiate career by netting three of EC's four goals, resulting in a monster six-point performance and her first-ever hat trick. The senior from Bel Air, Maryland, opened the game's scoring in the seventh minute with her first career goal, shoveling the ball into the back of the cage from the right side after it was tipped to her by Mae Dinh '19.
The Purple and Gold doubled their advantage in the 24th minute when Kelsie Aloi '21 lofted the ball over the shoulder of King's goalie Brianne Maluda. Earning an assist on the play was senior Diane LeRoy '19, who fired a hard centering pass to Aloi in the middle of the field from the right side of the circle.
Leading 2-0, the Soaring Eagles quickly put the game out of reach with two more goals in the first five minutes of the second half, with both tallies coming off of the stick of Kennedy-Butler. A mere 1:41 into the second stanza, she collected a rebound off of a shot initially taken Liz Shephard '21 and snuck the ball inside the right post.
Elmira's fourth goal, recorded 4:52 into the second half, was the third scored on a play that began with a penalty corner. The ball was inserted to Aloi, who found Holly Karalus '21 outside the arc in the center of the field. Karalus forwarded the ball to Emily Selbert '20 just inside the circle, and Selbert's backhanded pass found a wide-open Kennedy-Butler along the right post for an easy tip-in.
The win, which was EC's first in a season-opening contest since the Soaring Eagles defeated Oswego State by a 1-0 score in 2007, was also made possible thanks to a strong performance by goalie Tina O'Donnell '20. The junior keeper stopped 15 shots, including a save on a second-half penalty stroke with Elmira holding onto a 4-1 lead. O'Donnell made 11 of her saves in the second half to preserve the comfortable lead, despite allowing just one goal to the Monarchs' Jolee Treslar in the 46th minute.
In Their Own Words...
Head Coach
Lauren Silva on Elmira's season-opening victory over King's…
"It feels great. I am super excited for the team and to have started the season on a high note. It was truly a team effort, and they played a full game tonight."
Coach Silva when asked about Matilda Kennedy-Butler's hat-trick performance…
"It was a combination of her finesse on the ball and positioning that were key on each of her goals. Two of the three were assisted, so the team's effort significantly contributed as well."
Coach Silva when asked about which aspects of the game Elmira excelled in vs. the Monarchs…
"I was impressed by this team's chemistry and unity; they really played for each other tonight. They responded to each other, as well as instruction throughout the game. I also think the team's will to score and win contributed to tonight's outcome. They started the game hungry and were never complacent, despite an early lead."
News and Notes
- Elmira came out victorious in a season-opening game for the first time since September 5, 2007, when the Soaring Eagles beat Oswego State, 1-0.
- Four goals are the most scored by EC in an opening game since defeating Wells College in an 8-0 shutout to start the 2005 campaign.
- The Soaring Eagles snapped a two-game skid against the Monarchs in their first meeting with King's since the 2009 season.
- Kennedy-Butler scored her first career goal in the first half and finished the game with her first-ever hat trick.
- Kennedy-Butler is the first Soaring Eagle to log a hat trick since Janie Kempf '21 did so on October 24, 2017, against Keuka College.
- Aloi posted her second career goal, while LeRoy and Dinh each earned their first point with an assist.
Up Next
The Elmira women will continue their season-opening three-game homestand on Sunday, September 2, when the Purple and Gold welcome the College of Wooster to the Murray Athletic Center for a 2:00 p.m. non-conference matchup.