Women's Soccer | 11/1/2024 9:38:26 AM
SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Nazareth University, St. John Fisher University, Russell Sage College, Houghton University and Alfred University will battle 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 Brockport will host No. 8 Elmira, No. 2 Geneseo hosts No. 7 Houghton, No. 6 Alfred travels to take on No. 3 St. John Fisher and No. 5 Russell Sage heads west to face No. 4 Nazareth. The winner of Brockport vs. Elmira will take on the winner of Nazareth vs. Russell Sage on Wednesday, Nov. 6, while the winner of Geneseo vs. Houghton will face the winner of St. John Fisher vs. Alfred, 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 Women’s Soccer Championship, which begins with first and second round action on Nov. 16-17.
Participating Teams
No. 1 – SUNY Brockport (30 points, 10-1-0 E8, 14-1-1 Overall)
No. 2 – SUNY Geneseo (26 points, 8-1-2 E8, 10-4-3 Overall)
No. 3 – St. John Fisher University (25 points, 8-2-1 E8, 10-5-2 Overall)
No. 4 – Nazareth University (23 points, 7-2-2 E8, 10-5-2 Overall)
No. 5 – Russell Sage College (18 points, 5-3-2 E8, 6-6-5 Overall)
No. 6 – Alfred University (14 points, 3-3-5 E8, 7-3-6 Overall)
No. 7 – Houghton University (13 points, 4-6-1 E8, 7-9-2 Overall)
No. 8 – Elmira College (12 points, 4-7-0 E8, 5-9-2 Overall)
SUNY Brockport has enjoyed a tremendous debut season in the Empire 8 to date, finishing the regular season with a 14-1-1 overall record and 10-1-1 mark in league play. The Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents, 50-4 in 2024, with 14 clean sheets. Brockport has a balanced scoring attack, with 11 players recording at least a pair of goals. Jaylah Cossin leads Brockport in scoring with 28 points on 10 goals and eight assists, while Amelia Breton has eight goals. Madeline McCrossin has played most of the time in net this season with an 10-1-1 record, a 0.36 goals against average and an .879 save percentage.
SUNY Geneseo, the No. 2 seed, is vying for an E8 title in its debut season. The Knights have out-scored opponents, 39-14 this season and have five players with at least 11 points. Juliette Frischmann leads the Knights in scoring this season with 21 points on eight goals and five assists, while Abby Foster is right behind with 18 points on six goals and a team-high seven assists. Goalkeeper Mollie Collins has started all but one game in net for the Knights and is 9-3-3 with a 0.77 goals against average and an .857 save percentage.
St. John Fisher enters the E8 Tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing 8-2-1 in Empire 8 play. The Cardinals are 18-2-8 in league play over the last three years. Riley Grimm, Madelyn Wania, and Emma Spelman all have at least 20 points on the season. Grimm leads the team with nine goals and 22 points, while Wania has six goals, a team-best nine assists and 21 points, while Spelman has 20 points on six goals and eight assists. Nine different Cardinals have scored at least two goals in 2024. Avery Byrnes and Sofia Pantoja have split time in net, with each student-athlete earning five wins.
Three-time defending E8 Champion Nazareth finished the regular season with a 7-2-2 mark in league play and is looking to earn its third straight league championship. The Golden Flyers are looking to win their 14th Empire 8 title overall. Tatum Overton, the 2023 E8 Offensive Player of the Year, leads the Golden Flyers in scoring with 20 points on eight goals and four assists, while recording four game-winning goals. Lauren Obey has four goals and nine points. Goalkeeper Annika Monfort, a two-time E8 Goalkeeper of the Year, has six solo shutouts this season and a program record 32 for her career. She also has 36 career wins.
Russell Sage is making its sixth appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament. The Gators, who won the Spring 2021 Championship, enter the tournament having finished 5-3-3 in league play this season, while riding a five-game unbeaten streak. Amelia Geesler and Sofia Sanzo lead the team in scoring with eight points apiece, while Courtney Bush and Marissa Key are right behind with five points each. Goalkeeper Olivia Horan has played in 15 games for the Gators and has a 5-5-5 record, 1.00 goals against average and an .856 save percentage with three solo shutouts.
No. 6 seed Alfred finished 3-3-5 in league play this season and has surrendered just eight goals in 17 games this season. Abby Scanlan leads the team in scoring with 11 points on four goals and three assists this season, while Kayla Silverstein and Nyah Solly both have four goals, including two game-winners apiece to lead the team. Goalkeeper Kiani Barnard-Pratt has played in all 16 games for the Saxons and has a 0.54 goals against average and an .897 save percentage. The Saxons did not allow a goal in six non-league games this season.
Houghton is making its fourth appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament. The Highlanders finished with four wins in E8 play to earn the No. 7 seed. Natalie Milne leads the Highlanders in scoring with 15 points on six goals and three assists, while Elena Esh also has six goals and Taylor Curyto has 11 goals on five goals and an assist. Defender Rileigh Studley has played over 1,600 minutes of action this season. Goalkeeper Preslee Miller has played in every game and has three shutouts this season.
No. 8 seed Elmira earned a key win on the final day of the regular season to secure an E8 postseason berth for the first time since the 2005 season. Piper Andrews leads the Soaring Eagles in scoring with 14 points on six goals and two assists, while Mo McBride has four goals and 10 points. Rachel Bortnick has three goals on the season, all of which are game-winning tallies. In net, Neveah Winston has made 103 saves this season and has a .769 save percentage to go along with three shutouts. The Soaring Eagles made the first four E8 postseason tournaments from 2002-05.
First round opponents Brockport and Elmira met earlier in the season on Oct. 19, with Brockport rolling to a 7-1 win. Geneseo knocked off its first-round opponent Houghton by a score of 6-2 on Oct. 23, while St. John Fisher defeated its first-round foe Alfred, 2-0 from Growney Stadium on Oct. 2. The Golden Flyers of Nazareth pulled out a 1-0 win over its first-round opponent Russell Sage from Golden Flyer Stadium on Oct. 12.
Nazareth is looking for its fourth straight title and 14th league championship overall. Russell Sage is aiming for its second league title, while Brockport, Geneseo, St. John Fisher, Alfred, Houghton, and Elmira are all looking for their first league championship.
This E8 championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, visit
www.empire8.com or follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter and Instagram (@Empire8).
2024 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 2 – First Round
No. 8 Elmira at No. 1 SUNY Brockport – 1 p.m.
No. 7 Houghton at No. 2 SUNY Geneseo – 12 p.m.
No. 6 Alfred at No. 3 St. John Fisher – 1 p.m.
No. 5 Russell Sage at No. 4 Nazareth – 11 a.m.
Wednesday, November 6 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of SUNY Brockport/Elmira vs. Winner of Nazareth/Russell Sage – TBA
Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Houghton vs. Winner of St. John Fisher/Alfred – TBA
Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal Game 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – TBA
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.
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