Women's Soccer | 11/2/2021 7:41:54 AM
Nazareth College, Alfred University, St. John Fisher College, Hartwick College and Utica College will battle for the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship, which starts on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and wraps up Saturday, Nov. 6, with all games played at the higher seed.
No. 4 seed Hartwick will host No. 5 seed Utica in the opening round Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will travel to face top-seed Nazareth on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Wednesday, while No. 2 seed Alfred hosts third-seeded St. John Fisher in the second semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2021 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at a time to be determined.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship, which begins on Nov. 13-14.
Participating Teams
No. 1 Nazareth College (7-1-0 E8, 8-6-3 Overall)
No. 2 Alfred University (5-1-2 E8, 10-4-4 Overall)
No. 3 St. John Fisher College (5-2-1 E8, 9-5-1 Overall)
No. 4 Hartwick College (6-2-0 E8, 6-5-4 Overall)
No. 5 Utica College (4-2-2 E8, 8-7-1 Overall)
Top-seeded Nazareth finished the regular season with a 7-1-0 mark in league play, starting the year with seven straight wins versus E8 foes. Kristen Prohaska leads the Golden Flyers in scoring with 11 points on five goals and an assist, while Sydney Moss is right behind with four goals and nine points. Caleigh Cahoon, the Spring 2021 E8 Offensive Player of the Year has seven points. Nazareth has the stingiest defense in the league this season, allowing just 18 goals in seven games. The Golden Flyers allowed just three goals in eight Empire 8 games. Goalkeeper Annika Monfort has a 0.95 goals against average and an .847 save percentage in 2021.
No. 2 seed Alfred is enjoying the best league season in program history, having finished with a 5-1-2 mark. Overall, the Saxons are 10-4-4 this season, out-scoring their opponents, 40-24. Abigail Austin, Jacey Palmgreen and Kayla Silverstein are tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points apiece. Austin has a team-best seven goals, while Palmgreen has tied a single-season Alfred mark with nine assists. Silverstein and Alyssa Smith have six goals apiece. Goalkeeper Hannah Fuller has played in all 18 games for the Saxons and has a 1.29 goals against average and a .786 save percentage.
St. John Fisher enters the tournament with a 9-5-1 overall record and finished 5-2-1 in Empire 8 play. The Cardinals are the highest scoring team in the league this season, averaging 2.53 goals per game. Carli Kovarik leads the Empire 8 in scoring with 14 goals and 31 points in 15 games this season. Emma Spellman has 15 points in four goals and seven assists, while Kyra Kenyon and Emma Osterhoudt have 10 points each. Hallie Tickell has played the majority of time in net this season, recording a 1.35 goals against average and a .738 save percentage.
Alfred and St. John Fisher met on Oct. 23 with the two teams playing to a 1-1 draw. Tori Cruz scored for Fisher just 19 minutes into the contest, while Palmgreen netted the equalizer in the 66th minute of play. St. John Fisher out-shot Alfred, 17-13 in the game, with seven on target to five for the Saxons.
Hartwick enters the tournament with a 6-5-4 overall mark and finished 4-2-2 in E8 play to earn the No. 4 seed. Gianna Cacciola leads the Hawks in scoring with 14 points on four goals and six assists, while Julia Collado and Madi McGuire have nine points apiece. Overall, 14 different players have scored at least one goal for Hartwick in 2021. Goalkeeper Sara Staup has played every minute in net for Hartwick and has a 1.13 goals against average and a .766 save percentage.
Utica, the 2019 Empire 8 Champions and Spring 2021 runners-up, are in the E8 Tournament for the fourth straight season and seventh time in program history. The Pioneers had a magical run to the championship game this spring as a five-seed and will look to make their fourth straight title game this weekend. Utica enters the tournament with an 8-1-1 overall record, while finishing 4-3-1 in league play. Ro Hernandez is among the league leaders in scoring with nine goals and 20 points, while Sydney Cook is right behind with six goals and five assists for 17 points. Courtney Connolly has appeared in 13 games in net and has a 1.45 goals against average and an 0.838 save percentage.
Utica and Hartwick will be meeting at Elmore Field for the second time in four days. Utica emerged victorious, 1-0 in the regular season finale on Oct. 30, as Hernandez scored just 5:23 into the contest and the Utica defense did the rest to clinch a postseason berth. Connolly made five saves for the shutout.
Nazareth is looking for its 11th league championship and first since 2014. Utica is attempting to win its second title in three seasons, while Hartwick shared the E8 crown in 2017. St. John Fisher and Alfred are looking for their first league championships.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2021 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Tuesday, November 2 – First Round
No. 5 Utica at No. 4 Hartwick - 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 4 - Semifinals
Winner of Utica vs. Hartwick at No. 1 Nazareth – 2 p.m.
No. 3 St. John Fisher at No. 2 Alfred - 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 6 - Championship Final
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – TBD
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram