Stevens Clinches Top Seed; Naz and Utica Win; Ithaca and Houghton Tie

Stevens Clinches Top Seed; Naz and Utica Win; Ithaca and Houghton Tie

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STEVENS 4, ALFRED 0
The Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team scored four times in the second half Saturday to lead them to a 4-0 win over Alfred University on senior day in Hoboken.
 
With the win, Stevens (11-3-1, 6-0-0) has clinched the top seed in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament. The loss dropped Alfred to 9-6-2 (3-2-2).
 
The Ducks threatened early with shots from senior Kevin Calloway and sophomore Jay Mikula in the fifth and eighth minutes respectively, but the first was blocked by Alfred before the second sailed high.
 
Both teams fought for position and shots throughout the rest of the period with Alfred unleashing shots on goal in the 29th and 34th minutes, but Stevens sophomore goalie Mike Renna was able to make saves on both to keep the game scoreless.
 
The Ducks managed five shots to Alfred's four in the half with Renna making three saves to Alfred's junior net minder Nicholas Poindexter's two.
 
Stevens came out of the break aggressively before breaking through in the 53rd minute. After taking a pass from junior Joe Cellitti, junior Carson Pryor dribbled past the defense up the right side of the field before beating the goalie one-on-one for the score. The goal was Pryor's team-leading seventh of the season.
 
Pryor added another in the 77th minute with a shot to the back of the net off an across the box pass from sophomore Chris Renna, followed by another goal in the 80th minute for junior Colin Phillips off a pass from freshman Jacob Ulasevich.
 
The goal was Phillips' fourth of the season while the assist was the first of Ulasevich's career.
 
The Ducks added one more in the 88th minute off a penalty kick goal from junior Harrison Kane to give Stevens the 4-0 lead they would go on to win by.
 
Renna made four saves to record his seventh shutout of the season while the multi-goal game was the second of the season for Pryor.
 

NAZARETH 5, ELMIRA 1
Visiting Nazareth used its best offensive output of the season Saturday to dominate Elmira in an Empire 8 Conference men's soccer game. The Golden Flyers scored four times in the first half on their way to a 5-1 win over the Soaring Eagles and to keep alive their hope of landing a berth in next month's E8 Tournament.

Nazareth improved to 5-10 overall and 3-3 in conference games. Elmira is 0-13-2 and 0-6 in the Empire 8.

Graduate student Ryan Foley scored Nazareth's first goal and assisted on the second as the Golden Flyers built a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Matt Schiano assisted on Foley's eighth goal of the season and 29th of his career in the fourth minute of play. The in the 11th minute, freshman Mitch Fors scored his first career goal off a pass from Foley, who leads the team with 19 points on eight goals and three assists.

Sophomore Lucas Bennett and junior Ben Rodney each scored before the first half ended and sophomore Dylan Pettit picked up an assist as Nazareth built a commanding advantage. Elmira's Tony Barraco scored for the Soaring Eagles with :53 left in the half to make the score 4-1.

Nazareth unleashed 13 more shots in the second half and junior Clement Mutambo was credited with his first career goal as he slipped a shot past Elmira keeper Austin Mansell after receiving a through pass from Brendan Miles.

Nazareth had a 27-12 shooting advantage and an 8-3 edge in corner kicks. Freshman Diego Abreu played all 90 minutes in goal and made two saves.


UTICA 2, ST. JOHN FISHER 0
The Utica College men's soccer team stayed in the playoff hunt as it picked up a huge Empire 8 Conference win over visiting St. John Fisher College, 2-0, Saturday evening at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. 
 
With the win, Utica improves to 6-7-3 and 3-3 in the Empire 8.  The Pioneers are now tied with Nazareth College for fourth place in the Conference with one game remaining in the regular season.  If Utica defeats Alfred University next Saturday (4 p.m.), the Pioneers will clinch a spot in the E8 Tournament.
 
The teams played nearly 90 minutes of scoreless action before sophomore Matt Beljan broke the deadlock in the 88th minute.  Ricky Drake assisted on Beljan's first of the year.  Just 36 seconds later, senior Shane Ruffing all but sealed the victory as he found the back of the net for his conference-leading tenth goal of the season. 
 
Senior David Abdou made six saves for his second consecutive shutout and his fifth of the year, while his counterpart, Josh Klein had six stops in the loss. 
 
UC held a slight advantage in shots at 17-15, and edged the Cardinals 5-3 in corner kicks. 


HOUGHTON 1, ITHACA 1 (OT)
The Ithaca College and Houghton College men's soccer teams played to a 1-1 draw Saturday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Sean Forward scored Ithaca's goal, while senior goalkeeper Jordan Gentile made four saves on five Highlander shots. Both teams recorded 13 total shots, but the Bombers held a large advantage with eight corner kicks to Houghton's three.
 
Ithaca got on the board first, putting the score at 1-0 in the 25th minute. Sophomore Brandon Thompson started the play, as he took possession of the ball on the far sideline and raced towards the goal in a 2-on-1 break. Thompson found Forward in the middle of the box, connecting on a pass for a one-time shot. Forward's goal marked his team-leading fifth of the season.
 
Houghton tied the contest 14 minutes later, as the Highlanders converted on a shot from outside the box at 38:06. Houghton's goal marked the final score of the first frame, sending the game to halftime tied at 1-1.
 
Neither team was able to score in second half, sending the game to overtime. The Bombers and Highlanders each recorded two shots in the bonus frames, but neither team was able to score, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.


SCHOOL CONF OVERALL
Stevens 6-0 11-3-1
Ithaca 4-1-1 4-6-3
Alfred 3-2-1 9-6-2
Nazareth 3-3 5-10
Utica 3-3 6-7-3
St. John Fisher 2-4 4-10-1
Houghton 1-3-2 6-8-2
Elmira 0-6 0-13-2