Victory from Elmira's storied girls soccer program ushers in new stadium
When opening a highly anticipated, state-of-the-art stadium, you can't do any better than to have your six-time sectional champion girls soccer program handle the honors.
And what better way to kick off a new era at Elmira High School than with a skid-busting 5-1 victory against rival Horseheads that featured a hat trick from one of the most dynamic players in Section 4 as part of a strong all-around effort.
Senior forward Emily Hanrahan scored three goals and registered an assist in the Express' triumph at the rebuilt Thomas J. Hurley Athletic Complex on a brisk Thursday night that also got fall started.
The Express (4-4) erupted for three goals in the first half in snapping a three-game losing streak that included a 1-0 overtime loss at Corning on Tuesday. Caitlyn Wagner and Emily Coles also scored Express goals Thursday, with Mia Capilli contributing two assists.
Who was Dick Senko?Legendary coach gets special honor at Elmira's new stadium
Hanrahan said the stadium felt like a neutral field at first after the Express got limited practice time Wednesday as work was done on the lights. With a win in hand, she said it now feels like home.
"It was very nice," said Hanrahan, now with 12 goals this season. "We knew we had to get a result tonight just because it is our first time playing on the field and we are the first ones to ever play a game on the field. ... We knew we had to beat Horseheads."
'Definitely an honor'
Express coach Zach Sarno said he was happy to receive the news from athletic director Zack Lloyd that his team would be the first to play at the stadium and the night lived up to expectations.
Following the game, Elmira players ran to their goalie to celebrate as a group. They later posed together for a photo at the center of the field as parents took out their cellphones.
"It’s definitely an honor to be out here," Sarno said. "The excitement, you could feel it. Certainly nice to get a result and get back in the win column because we’ve had three tough losses in a row. ... To be able to defend our home field on the first night we’re out here in the fashion we did is really satisfying."
More:State-of-the-art stadium comes to Elmira High School
The stadium was built at the same spot as the original Thomas J. Hurley Athletic Complex, which opened in 1992 at what was then Southside High School. Southside and EFA merged to form Elmira High in 2014, three years after all sports teams in the school district were combined.
Girls soccer has been a standout since the merger under Sarno, who prior to that spearheaded Southside's resurgence over four seasons as coach. Elmira teams have a record of 133-43-14 since the inaugural 2011 season, including eight consecutive Southern Tier Athletic Conference West titles from 2012 to 2019, along with Section 4 Class AA championships in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
"It was a little different coming out here trying to learn the field," Sarno said. "It’s weird for me because I haven’t coached out here since I was coaching at Southside, so that’s really funny. And at that point the field was grass. It brings back some memories. It’s a little weird to be out here 13 years later."
More:Who was Tom Hurley? A look at why Elmira's stadium is named for Southside coaching legend
High praise for stadium
Elmira will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and field dedication at halftime of its homecoming football game against Union-Endicott on Sept. 23. The stadium's turf field will be named for Elmira Free Academy football coaching legend Dick Senko. Hurley was a Southside football coaching great.
The entrance to the school is yards away from the stadium's front gate, just part of the appeal.
"It's great," Hanrahan said. "Now we have something we can look at and play on instead of bussing all the way over to (Ernie Davis Academy)."
While the EDA days brought a lot of joy, it's hard to match the splendor of the new facility, which gives Express teams a chance to play home games under the lights for the first time.
"Credit to the school district," Sarno said. "They didn’t leave many stones, if any, unturned in this stadium because they did a heck of a job. They did an absolutely amazing job."
Express soccer's new home
Elmira's strong boys soccer team (6-3) will get its first chance to play at the new stadium at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 against Ithaca.
For the girls team, the hope is Thursday's energy will carry over into the rest of the season. The potential is clearly there for another sectional run despite four close losses, which all came to quality opponents. Along with Ithaca and Corning, Elmira lost to Liverpool (2-0) and Baldwinsville (2-1) last weekend in the Syracuse area.
"The excitement was good coming in here," Sarno said. "We were coming off three tough losses and the other night we lost in double-overtime to Corning. We had so many chances to score against them and couldn't find the back of the net. The heartbreaking way we lost really woke a few people up and we said, hey, we're not bad, we've just got to be better."
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira's girls soccer team winner in first game played at new stadium
