Women's Soccer | 11/9/2019 11:53:44 PM
ONEONTA, NY – Sydney Cook scored with 9:48 left in regulation to lift No. 4 Utica College to a 1-0 win over second-seeded Hartwick College in the 2019 Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship match on Saturday at historic Elmore Field. Utica won its first Empire 8 title in program history and earned an automatic berth into the 2020 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship, which begins on Nov. 16-17.
With the win, Utica improves to 12-5-1 on the season, marking the most victories in a single-season since 2005. The Pioneers will find out their opponent for the NCAA Tournament during the selection show on Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Utica weathered the storm in the first half as Hartwick out shot the Pioneers 9-0 and held a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks through the first 45 minutes of play. UC had more chances in the second half and finally broke the deadlock in the 81st minute as junior
Sydney Cook (Waterville, NY/Waterville) netted her third of the year. Senior
Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) dribbled the ball into the box and dished it to Cook who fired into a wide open net for the go-ahead.
That was all Utica needed as the Pioneer defense held strong. Senior
Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), who recently broke the College's career shutout record, stopped all seven shots she faced. Wagner was named Empire 8 Tournament Most Outstanding Player as she did not allow a goal in the tournament.
2019 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Wednesday, November 6 - Semifinals
No. 4 Utica 1, No. 1 St. John Fisher 0
No. 2 Hartwick 1, No. 3 Nazareth 0
Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final
No. 4 Utica 1, No. 2 Hartwick 0
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished 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 E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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