Women's Soccer | 4/12/2021 8:58:34 AM
Six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Soccer Championship, which takes place from Tuesday, April 13 to Saturday, April 17, with all matches played at the higher seed. Nazareth College is the 2021 E8 regular season champion and top-seed, while No. 5 seed Utica College is looking to defend its 2019 league title.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Soccer Championship Seeds
#1 – Nazareth (5-0)
#2 – Russell Sage (3-2)
#3 – St. John Fisher (2-2-1)
#4 – Houghton (2-2)
#5 – Utica (1-2-1)
#6 – Alfred (0-5)
The 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Soccer 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 Spring Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 13 – First Round
#3 St. John Fisher College vs. #6 Alfred University – 4 p.m.
#4 Houghton College vs. #5 Utica College –
5 p.m.
Thursday, April 15 - Semifinals
#1 Nazareth College vs. winner of #4 Houghton/#5 Utica – TBA
#2 Russell Sage College vs. winner of #3 St. John Fisher/#6 Alfred –
7 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
Nazareth enters the tournament as the top seed and won the 2021 Empire 8 Spring regular season title after going 5-0 in league play and is 8-0 overall. The Golden Flyers are looking for their 11th Empire 8 title, with the last coming in 2014. Nazareth has outscored its opponents, 32-3 in 2021 to date. Five players are averaging at least a point per game. Caleigh Cahoon leads Nazareth in scoring with six goals, four assists and 16 points, while Kristen Prohaska is right behind with six goals and 15 points and Ashley Plane has five goals. Goalkeeper Gabrielle Pighetti is 8-0 with a 0.39 goals against average and five solo shutouts.
Russell Sage recorded its best regular season finish in its brief Empire 8 history, earning the No. 2 seed in 2021. The Gators went 3-2 in league play. Hallie Klosterman leads the Gators in scoring with three goals and six points, while Natalie Ricci is right behind with two goals and four points. Kallan Shertzer and Mickela Buzzy have split time in goal. Shertzer has a 0.80 goals against average and an .882 save percentage.
St. John Fisher, the No. 3 seed, is 2-2-1 in 2021. Carli Kovarik leads the Cardinals in scoring with eight points on three goals and two assists, while Alexis Gossage has a goal and two assists. Lila Platt has played in all five games this season and has a 1.56 goals against average and a .788 save percentage. The Cardinals are making their eighth appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament and are looking for their first postseason win.
Houghton is making its second appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament (2015). The Highlanders enter the tournament with a 3-3-0 record and finished 2-2-0 in league play. Kealy DeForest leads the team in scoring with nine points on four goals and an assist while Moriah Steffan has two goals. Megan Merrifield has appeared in five games in net for the Highlanders in 2021. Alex Steele and Amy Romig has played in every minute of play this season.
Utica, the 2019 Empire 8 Champions, are in the E8 Tournament for the third straight season and sixth time in program history. The Pioneers enter the tournament with a 2-2-1 overall record and finished 1-2-1 in league play. Jacinta Kaminsky and Kierra Caissey are tied for the team lead with three goals apiece. Kaminsky has a team-best seven points, while Hillaria Hernandez has a goal and team-high three assists for five points. Courtney Connolly has appeared in four games in net and has a 0.851 save percentage.
Alfred is making their second appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament. The Saxons are looking for their first win of 2021 in the first round contest. Katline Cartwright leads the Saxons in scoring, while Jasmine Sims and Hannah Fuller have split time in goal. Mackenzie O’Brien and Abigail Austin have played in every minute of play this season.
Tuesday’s first round game between Houghton and Utica will mark the first meeting of the season between the two programs. St. John Fisher knocked off Alfred, 1-0 on March 27.
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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