Back-to-Back! Stevens Repeats as Empire 8 Men's Soccer Champions
Cesario Helps Ducks Claim 11th E8 Title, Earns Tournament MVP
HOBOKEN, N.J. – Stevens defeated Nazareth 2-0 Sunday to capture its second-straight Empire 8 Men's Soccer Conference championship and an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Since joining the Empire 8 Conference prior to the start of the 2007 season, the Ducks have now captured 11 conference titles overall. They have now reached the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the last 18 seasons.
Senior
Chris Cesario broke through in the 56th minute, tapping in a pretty cross from classmate
Daniel Aversano for his fourth goal of the year. Cesario scored two goals in the two games of the championship and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Sophomore
Cristiano Hocken provided an insurance goal in the 73rd minute as the Ducks won their sixth straight game overall to improve to 17-2-1 on the season. The team's 17 victories is the highest mark for the program since 2013, and is tied for the fourth-most in the program's 90-year history. Stevens completed a perfect Empire 8 season for the fourth time overall.
Senior
Aaron Henry made one save to post his 11th clean sheet of the season. The Fayetteville, Arkansas native has not allowed a goal over his last 386:55 in net for the Ducks.
Brian Wilkin made eight saves for the Golden Flyers, who fell to 12-7-1. Stevens improved to 16-0-1 all-time against Nazareth, including a perfect 5-0 in the Empire 8 tournament. The Ducks topped the Golden Flyers in the E8 title match for the third time.
No. 21 Stevens will now learn of its NCAA placement Monday afternoon when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed.
2018 Empire 8 Conference All-Championship Team
Joe Gonzalez, Alfred
Brennan Jelstrom, Alfred
Connor Mann, Nazareth
Frankie Viavattene, Nazareth
Brian Wilkin, Nazareth
Dallas Kaiser, St. John Fisher
Zach Munski, St. John Fisher
Chris Cesario, Stevens*
Nick Cousillas, Stevens
Nico Figueroa, Stevens
Andy Masur, Stevens
* - Indicates Most Valuable Player
2018 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Most Valuable Player - Chris Cesario, Stevens
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staff at Stevens -
About the Empire 8 Conference
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.