Nazareth and Ithaca Advance to Empire 8 Championship
Top seeded Nazareth College and third seeded Ithaca College have advanced to the Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship that will be hosted by the Golden Flyers on Saturday, May 4 at 12pm.
Nazareth freshman Luke Wooters finished with three goals and three assists to lead the Golden Flyers to a 15-7 win over fourth-seeded Utica College in semifinals. Collin Clark added four goals, while Scott Brown made eight saves in 53:57 minutes of play. Utica was led by senior attackman Ben Winkler who finished with three goals.
Andrew Bruce (4g, 2a) and James Manilla (3g, 2a) each had big games for Ithaca as the Bombers defeated second-seeded and nationally ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, 12-10. Scott Sidman made 13 save in net as the Bombers avenged its loss to the Ducks five days ago. Stevens was led by Nicholas Philippi (3g, 1a) and Rich Dupras (2g, 3a).
Nazareth and Ithaca have faced each other in the championship game twice before (2004 and 2007), with the Golden Flyers winning both times. The Bombers will be looking for its first Empire 8 Championship since 2008, while Nazareth will be looking for its first since 2009.
Nazareth Recap |
Utica Recap
Ithaca Recap |
Stevens Recap