Men's Soccer | 4/13/2021 8:23:52 AM
Six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Soccer Championship, which takes place from Wednesday, April 14 to Sunday, April 18, with all matches played at the higher seed. St. John Fisher College and Houghton College are the 2021 E8 co-regular season champions, while No. 4 seed Nazareth College is looking to defend its 2019 league title.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Soccer Championship Seeds
#1 – St. John Fisher (4-1)
#2 – Houghton (4-1)
#3 – Russell Sage (3-2)
#4 – Nazareth (3-2)
#5 – Utica (1-4)
#6 – Alfred (0-5)
The 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’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 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Wednesday, April 14 – First Round
#3 Russell Sage College vs. #6 Alfred University – 3 p.m.
#4 Nazareth College vs. #5 Utica College –
4 p.m.
Friday, April 16 - Semifinals
#1 St. John Fisher College vs. winner of #4 Nazareth/#5 Utica – TBA
#2 Houghton College vs. winner of #3 Russell Sage/#6 Alfred –
TBA
Sunday, April 18 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the tournament as the top seed and won a share of the 2021 Empire 8 Spring regular season title after going 4-1 in league play. The Cardinals are looking for their second Empire 8 title, having also won in 2016. Ben Woolingham leads St. John Fisher in scoring with three goals and six points, while Justin Bonetto is right behind with two goals and five points and Matt Gentile has two goals. Goalkeeper Jadon Schlierf has a 0.77 goals against average and an .846 save percentage.
Houghton earned a share of its first Empire 8 Spring regular season title in program history. The Highlanders, who are making their third E8 Tournament appearance, are 5-1 overall and finished 4-1 in league play. Houghton has allowed just two goals all season, out-scoring opponents, 11-2. Julius Klohr leads the team in scoring with four goals and eight points, while Logan Schrock has two goals and one assist. Nicholas D’Angelo has a team-high three assists. Goalkeeper Caleb Loew has a sparkling 0.35 goals against average and a .933 save percentage this season.
Russell Sage is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. The Gators went 3-2 in league play. Nathan Ficht leads the Gators in scoring with a goal and three assists for five points, while Jeaneste Pierre is has two goals and four points. Anthony Molina has played in all five games in goal and has a 0.98 goals against average and an .808 save percentage.
Nazareth is looking to repeat as Empire 8 Champions and earn its fifth overall league title. The Golden Flyers enter the tournament with a 3-2 record. Cooper LaValley leads the team in scoring with eight points on three goals and two assists, while Dylan Rippe and Dante Walters have two goals apiece. Trevor Clark has appeared in all five games in net for the Golden Flyers, recording a 1.19 goals against average and a .793 save percentage.
Utica is in the E8 Tournament for sixth time in program history. The Pioneers enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed. Sony Konate leads the team in scoring with three goals and six points, while Ramazani Juma and Colin McCarthy have a goal and an assist apiece. Randy Miksch has appeared in five games in net and has a 1.47 goals against average and a .720 save percentage.
Alfred is making its seventh appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament and is attempting to win its third league title. The Saxons are looking for their first win of 2021 in the first round contest. Justin Eaton and Jesus Macias lead the Saxons in scoring, while Daniel Koenig has appeared in all five games in goal.
Wednesday’s first round game between Nazareth and Utica will be the second meeting in three days between the two schools, with the Golden Flyers pulling out a 2-1 win on April 11. Russell Sage knocked off first round opponent Alfred, 2-0 on April 5.
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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