Men's Soccer | 11/1/2024 12:21:02 PM
St. John Fisher University, Nazareth University, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Poly, SUNY Brockport, Hartwick College, Elmira College and Russell Sage College will compete for the 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship, which starts on Saturday, Nov. 2 and wraps up Saturday, Nov. 9, with all games played at the higher seed.
All eight teams will be in action for opening round play on Saturday, Nov. 2, as No. 1 St. John Fisher will host No. 8 Russell Sage, No. 2 Nazareth hosts No. 7 Elmira, No. 6 Hartwick travels to take on No. 3 Geneseo and No. 5 Brockport heads east to face No. 4 Poly. The winner of St. John Fisher vs. Russell Sage will take on the winner of Brockport vs. Poly on Wednesday, Nov. 6, while the winner of Nazareth vs. Elmira will face the winner of Geneseo Fisher vs. Hartwick, also on Wednesday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, Nov. 9 at a time to be determined.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, which begins with first and second round action on Nov. 16-17.
Participating Teams
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (26 points, 8-1-2 E8, 9-4-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth University (24 points, 7-1-3 E8, 10-3-4 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (21 points, 6-2-3 E8, 8-4-5 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Poly (19 points, 5-2-4 E8, 10-3-4 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (18 points, 5-3-3 E8, 6-6-4 Overall)
No. 6 – Hartwick College (18 points, 6-5-0 E8, 8-7-1 Overall)
No. 7 – Elmira College (17 points, 5-4-2 E8, 5-8-4 Overall)
No. 8 – Russell Sage College (15 points, 4-4-3 E8, 7-7-3 Overall)
Top-seed St. John Fisher is looking to win its second E8 title in the last five seasons. The Cardinals went 7-1-2 in league play, out-scoring its opponents, 20-4 in the 11 games. St. John Fisher earned the league title with a 1-0 win over Nazareth in the regular seaon finale. Joey Avallone leads the team in scoring with 16 points on six goals and four assists, all of which has come in league play, while Jack Tamburino has five goals and 12 points and Riley Rease, 11 points on four goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Christian Burkhart has played every minute in goal for the Cardinals this season and leads the Empire 8 in lowest goals against average (0.65), highest save percentage (.847) and most shutouts (10). The Cardinals are in the E8 Tournament for the fifth straight season and 15th time overall.
No. 2 Nazareth enters the Empire 8 Tournament with a 10-3-4 overall record and 7-1-3 mark in conference play. The Golden Flyers are out-scoring their opponents, 39-20 this season. Jake Pawlika and Spencer Neil are the top scorers in the Empire 8 this season, with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Both student-athletes have scored nine goals. Drew Decker is also enjoying an excellent season for Nazareth with four goals and a league-best 11 assists for 19 points. He is the Empire 8’s all-time leader with 37 career assists. Six different players have at least three goals. Goalkeeper Logan Menna is 7-2-3 with a 1.11 goals against average and a .776 save percentage. The Golden Flyers are in the tournament for the eighth straight season and 17th time in program history.
SUNY Geneseo, the No. 3 seed finished 6-2-3 in league play and has an 8-4-5 record overall in 2024. The Knights have allowed just six goals in league play this season. Stefen Nikolic leads the Knights in scoring with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Vasion Sinjari has a team-best five assists and seven points, while Eric Famularo and Joe Vogt have three goals each. Goalkeeper Vincent Maronski has appeared in all 17 games and has a 0.73 goals against average and six solo shutouts.
E8 newcomer SUNY Poly, the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Champion, enters the tournament with a 10-3-4 overall record, having finished 5-2-4 in Empire 8 play. The Wildcats enter the tournament riding a six-game unbeaten streak and have not allowed a goal since Oct. 9. Jhonny These leads the Wildcats with 10 goals and 20 points and leads the Empire 8 in goals and points per game. Edgar Gomez has eight points on two goals and a team-high four assists, while Matthew McCord has four goals. Nine different players have at least two goals this season. Goalkeeper Ryan Primus has played in all 17 games and has nine wins, and a 0.76 goals against average.
SUNY Brockport enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Golden Eagles have six players with at least two goals this season, including Russ Domm and Max Voyer, who have five goals apiece. Both of Gael Berardi’s goals are game-winning tallies this season. In net, Andrew Taylor has played the most time in net and has a 1.06 goals against average and five shutouts.
Hartwick, which played at the Division I level until the 2018 season, is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third consecutive season. The sixth-seeded Hawks enter the tourney with a 6-1 record over its last seven games after starting 0-4 in league play. Jake Daly leads the team in scoring this season with 13 points on four goals and five assists. Hunter Bulich has a pair of goals and two assists, while Andres Acosta-Ordonez has a team-high tying total of three goals. In goal, Dante Gesamondo has appeared in all 16 games for the Hawks this season and has five solo shutouts.
Elmira, the defending Empire 8 Champions are the No. 7 seed, having finished 5-4-2 in league play this season. Pietro Gallina leads the team in scoring with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Seven different players have at least two goals on the season. Goalkeeper Juan Carlos Cruz Gandia finished 5-2-2 between the pipes in league play. The Soaring Eagles are in the E8 Tournament for the eighth time in program history.
Russell Sage, the No. eight seed enters the tournament having finished 4-4-3 in Empire 8 play this season. El Hadji Iba Sy leads the Gators and is third in the league in scoring with 20 points. Dimitri Gogas has a team best six assists to go along with three goals for 12 points, while Alejandro Aleo has 11 points on three goals and five assists. Goalkeeper Maximilian Bertmann has appeared in 15 games and has seven wins and a 1.21 goals against average.
Russell Sage defeated E8 first round opponent St. John Fisher at Growney Stadium by a score of 2-1 during the regular season on Oct. 5. No. 2 Nazareth defeated seventh-seeded Elmira, 4-2, just one week ago on Oct. 26 in Elmira, while Geneseo defeated first round foe Hartwick, 1-0 in the E8 opener on Sept. 14. First round opponents SUNY Poly and SUNY Brockport battled to a 2-2 draw on Oct. 5
Nazareth is looking for its sixth league championship and third in the last six seasons, while St. John Fisher is attempting to win its third league crown and Elmira is looking for its second straight title. SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick, Russell Sage and SUNY Poly are looking for their first E8 titles. Alfred and St. John Fisher both are attempting to win their third league crowns.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, visit
www.empire8.com and follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter and Instagram (@Empire8).
2024 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 2 – First Round
No. 8 Russell Sage at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 4:30 p.m.
No. 7 Elmira at No. 2 Nazareth – 2:30 p.m.
No. 6 Hartwick at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 3:30 p.m.
No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 4 SUNY Poly – TBD
Wednesday, November 6 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of St. John Fisher/Russell Sage vs. Winner of SUNY Poly/SUNY Brockport – TBD
Winner of Nazareth/Elmira vs. Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Hartwick – TBD
Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal Game 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 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