EMPIRE 8 FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Washington & Jefferson 1, #4 Hartwick 0, Final - OT
WASHINGTON, Pa. - No. 18 Washington & Jefferson punched its ticket to the Empire 8 Tournament Title Game with an exciting 1-0 victory over Hartwick at Cameron Stadium on Friday evening. With the win, the Presidents picked up their program-record 16th win of the season, improving to 16-1 on the season. Hartwick saw their season come to a close as they finish with a mark of 12-6.
With the win, top-seeded W&J will battle second-seeded St. John Fisher in the E8 Championship Game tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Cameron Stadium.
The game-winning goal was credited as an own goal in the first 1:09 of overtime.
Alana Boyd dumped the ball into the opposing circle trying to find a streaking
Rachel Buyan, when a Hawks defender tried to tip the ball away but, ultimately, hit it into her own cage.
Besides the OT tally, both teams put on strong defensive showings.
Rena Israel, pictured, made a career-high 10 saves to earn her 12th shutout of the season. She also improved her record on the year to 14-1.
#2 St. John Fisher 4, #3 Stevens 1
WASHINGTON, Pa. – For the fourth time in program history, St. John Fisher will play in the Empire 8 title game after the second-seeded Cardinals came from behind on Friday to down third-seeded Stevens, 4-1, in the semifinal round at Cameron Stadium. With the win, Fisher -which has now posted seven consecutive victories - moved to 15-4 and will take on top-seeded and nationally-ranked Washington and Jefferson at 1 p.m. on Saturday with the Empire 8 crown and a berth into the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship on the line.
After falling behind by a goal in the 15th minute of play, Fisher began to take over as the first half wore on and outshot the Ducks, 6-1, but would head into halftime facing a one-goal deficit. The Cardinals' momentum carried over to begin the second half as Fisher notched the equalizer just two minutes into the period when
Bre Socker blasted a shot that was deflected into the goal by
Reghan Amoroso to knot things up at 1-1.
The score remained deadlocked for the next 10 minutes until
Talia Scarfino dropped a pass for Socker who uncorked her 20th goal of the season to put Fisher on top, 2-1. The Cardinals continued to force the action and extended their lead to two goals in the 54th minute when Socker found
Lauren Fazio for her team-leading 23rd goal as Fisher went up 3-1.
EMPIRE 8 WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Stevens 4, #4 Sage 1
HOBOKEN, N.J. - Julia Panko, pictured, scored twice to help lead top-seed Stevens to the Championship Final with an impressive 4-1 win over Sage tonight in Hoboken. With the win, the Ducks will now take on Utica in a battle of the top two seeds in tomorrow night's Empire 8 Championship.
Panko didn't take long to open the scoring, tallying in the seventh minute to get the Ducks on the scoreboard early. Stevens would take a 1-0 lead into the half, but would open the game early in the second stanza. Erica O'Kelly scored her second goal of the season just three minutes into the second half to extend the lead to 2-0. Panko would then strike again to open the margin and Brynn Budka would add to the cushion making it a 4-0 lead the Stevens.
Sage would tally late, but Stevens would go on to the 4-1 win.
#2 Utica 0, #3 Hartwick 0, Utica advances on PK's 4-2
HOBOKEN, N.J. – Utica College defeated Hartwick in a penalty kick shootout, 4-2, advancing to the Empire 8 Championship game for the first time since 2006 and just the second time in program history.
Goalkeeper Allison Wagner made four first half saves, as Hartwick outshot UC 10-0 in the opening half of the semifinal match. Utica was able to put more offensive pressure on the Hawks in the second, firing six shots and earning four corner kick opportunities. Despite both teams having chances in regulation and overtime, the game stayed tied at 0-0 and went to a penalty kick shootout to decide the winner.
Hartwick's Zoe Capanna was given the first shot in PK's, hitting it off the post to start the shootout with a miss. AnnaLisa MacPhee and Amanda Thut stepped up to score on their opportunities in the shootout for Utica. After Tanner Reed scored for the Hawks, teammate Gabrielle Kreppein's attempt was saved by Wagner. Freshman Katherine Migliori scored on her chance, giving the Pioneers a 3-1 advantage in the shootout.
Samantha Ford scored on her shot for the Hawks, to make the PK tally 3-2 and keep her team in it. Sophomore Emma Workman put the game away with Utica's fourth straight score in the shootout to seal the win and move on to the conference championship match.
The members of the Empire 8 are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the Empire 8.