Men's Soccer | 11/6/2021 4:36:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY -- Top-seeded Nazareth scored twice in the first half Saturday and held off a second-half charge by second-seeded Houghton to earn a 2-0 victory over the Highlanders in the 2021 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship from sun-soaked Golden Flyer Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The victory enabled the men's team to follow their female counterparts from Nazareth in claiming the Empire 8 Conference championship for the second time in three years. It marks Nazareth fifth E8 title overall and the Golden Flyers will make their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament as a result. At 13-1-3 overall, Nazareth is unbeaten in its last 14 games (12-0-2). Houghton finished the 2021 season at 8-12 overall.
Tournament MVP Drew Decker delivered a first-half goal as did senior Sam Smyth to provide Nazareth with the necessary firepower. Freshman goalkeeper Logan Menna was called upon to make just two saves in completing his seventh shutout of the season.
Decker's fourth goal of the season came in the 27th minute after the Golden Flyers were applying pressure for most of the game. After receiving a pass from fellow freshman Michael Yates, Decker was able to curl a right-footed shot inside the right goal post and out of the reach of Highlanders' goalkeeper Sam Carpenter.
Just over four minutes later, the Golden Flyers lined up for a free kick outside the left part of the penalty area. Smyth sent the kick to the far post toward teammate Cooper LaValley, who allowed the ball to sail past him and into the corner of the goal for a 2-0 Nazareth advantage.
In desperation mode in the second half, Houghton dialed up the offensive intensity by generating six of their eight shots in the game. The Golden Flyers' back line, spearheaded by Andrew Vogler, Adrian Padilla, Alexander Gent and Owen Brignati, kept the Highlanders off the board.
Nazareth finished with a 10-8 edge in shots and a 7-1 advantage on corner kicks.
In gaining the E8's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, Nazareth will anxiously await the announcement at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
2021 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Schedule
Monday, November 1 (First Round)
#4 St. John Fisher defeated #5 Alfred, 2-1 (OT). | BOX SCORE
Wednesday, November 3 (Semifinals)
#1 Nazareth tied #4 St. John Fisher, 1-1 (Nazareth advanced on PK's, 4-2) - BOX SCORE
#2 Houghton defeated #3 Utica, 4-3 (OT) - BOX SCORE
Saturday, November 6 (Championship)
#1 Nazareth defeated #2 Houghton, 2-0 - BOX SCORE
2021 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player
Drew Decker, Fr., F, Nazareth
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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