Men's Soccer | 11/1/2022 7:37:10 PM
No. 4 seed Utica University and No. 6 seed Hartwick College emerged victorious in opening round action of the 2022 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship on Tuesday, November 1. Utica defeated No. 5 Nazareth College, 1-0 in the opening match of the day, while Hartwick earn a 1-0 road win at No. 3 Russell Sage College.
The Pioneers won their second Empire 8 postseason game in program history and first since 2013, while Hartwick, won its first Empire 8 postseason contest after playing as a Division I institution until 2017.
Hartwick will travel to Buffalo to face No. 2 seed Medaille University in the first semiinal at 6 p.m., while Utica will head to top-seed St. John Fisher at 7:30 p.m. in the second semifinal on Thursday. Medaille defeated Hartwick, 3-1 in the regular season meeting on Oct. 8, while St. John Fisher defeated Utica by a score of 2-0 on the road that same day.
NO. 4 UTICA 1, #5 NAZARETH 0
In the 46th minute,
Nico Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ/Southern Regional) sent a beautiful pass to
Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) that he fired into the bottom right corner of the net for the difference, as Utica was able to move on in the Empire 8 Tournament.
The first half saw both teams fighting hard for possession and it took a while for the teams to settle down. Once settled, Nazareth dictated the first half outshooting Utica 12-5 and had some very excellent shots on target. However, Pioneers goalkeeper
Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) made a few fantastic saves to keep the game scoreless. Xidias' stellar save came in the 19th minute in which he was able to slide to the right of the net and deny a close range shot with just one hand. Utica's
Noah Nassberg (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) registered all of the shots for the team in the first half as his motor was creating opportunities, yet the team was unable to break the tie. The match remained scoreless at the end of the first half.
After Mugushu's goal, Utica kept pressuring as two
Brandon Pender (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) shots were blocked just one minute later. Nazareth would rally as the team was attacking and fired off two shots and two corner kicks between the 50 and 60 minute marks of the match. The Pioneers kept pressuring and
Orin Williams (Mt. Vernon, NY/Sacred Heart) nearly put in goal, yet a Golden Flyers defender would clear the ball at the last second. The Golden Flyers had a few opportunities late, yet the Pioneer defense would hold strong and hold onto the lead.
In net, Xidias played unbelievable with four outstanding saves to keep the Golden Flyers off of the scoreboard and help the Pioneers advance to the next round of the Empire 8 Tournament. Utica improved to 8-8-1 over, while Nazareth had its season come to an end at 7-5-5.
NO. 6 HARTWICK 1, NO. 3 RUSSELL SAGE 0
Riding the momentum of an emotional 3-2 win over Elmira College on Saturday that clinched a postseason berth, Hartwick advanced to the E8 semifinals after a 1-0 win over Russell Sage. The Hawks improved to 6-8-3 on the season, while the Gators have their season end with an 8-8-2 mark.
After defeating Sage at home in the regular season on an "own goal", the Gators came out on their home field looking to avenge the hard luck loss. The hosts were able to get off eight shots but were only able to put two on goal. On the other side, Hartwick was more efficient putting four of their five shots in the half on goal.
Despite the opportunities, neither team could find the back of the net and the score was deadlocked at 0-0 through the first 45 minutes of play. The Hawks were able to break through in the second half when a chipped ball over the back line of the Gators' defense was misplayed and a streaking
Jake Zona (Liverpool, N.Y.) was able to beat the Sage goalie to the ball and slip it into the back of the net for the tally.
After the Hartwick goal in the 57th
minute, Sage looked to swing the momentum back in their favor. That opportunity nearly happened for the Gators as the Hawks were whistled for a foul just outside of the box with three seconds remaining in the contest. However, the direct kick went wide right and Hartwick was able to celebrate their upset victory.
Hartwick freshman goalkeeper,
Aden Razukiewicz (Warwick, N.Y.) posted the clean sheet, picking up seven saves on the night.
2022 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, November 1 – First Round
No. 4 Utica defeated No. 5 Nazareth, 1-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 6 Hartwick defeated No. 3 Russell Sage , 1-0 – BOX SCORE
Thursday, November 3 - Semifinals
No. 6 Hartwick at No. 2 Medaille – 6 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 4 Utica at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 7:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, November 5 - Championship Final
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – TBD – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
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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