Field Hockey | 11/4/2024 7:21:05 PM
No. 3 seed Hartwick College (10-7) and fifth-seeded St. John Fisher University (9-10) advanced to the 2024 Empire 8 Semifinal round after earning first round on Monday evening, Nov. 4. The Hawks earned a 4-1 win over No. 6 Houghton University, while St. John Fisher traveled down East Ave. and shutout No. 4 seed Nazareth University, 3-0.
Semifinal matchups are set, as Hartwick will head to No. 2 SUNY Brockport (13-5) at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, while The Cardinals will travel to top-seed SUNY Geneseo (17-2) also at 4 p.m. Thursday. Brockport earned a 1-0 home win over Hartwick on Oct. 12, as goalkeeper Ella Buchanan made 10 saves in the shutout win. Geneseo defeated St. John Fisher, 1-0 in overtime on the road on Oct. 9, as Olivia Hernick scored on Geneseo's 35th shot of the game.
The winner of Thursday's semifinals advance to the 2024 Empire 8 Field Hockey Cross Country Championship game at the home of the highest remaining seed. The 2024 Empire 8 Champion earns an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tournament, which begins Nov. 13.
NO. 3 HARTWICK 4, NO. 6 HOUGHTON 1
Jessica Betts (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) recorded her second straight hat-trick, lifting the No. 3 seed Hawks to a 4-1 win over No. 6 Houghton. Hartwick improves to 10-7 with the win, while Houghton had ita season come to an end with a 9-9 mark.
Betts gave Hartwick the early lead, picking up Hartwick's first tally of the contest just over two minutes into play. Betts found the back of the cage after dribbling past her defender and into the circle before slipping the ball past the Highlander's keeper.
Just over nine minutes later,
Danielle Hand (Queensbury, N.Y.) deposited the rebound off of her own initial shot and into the back of the cage to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks continued to control the pace of the game in the second quarter, earning three penalty corners. Betts would convert on two of those corners with the first taking place in the 20th minute of action. Betts capped off the hat trick in the 22nd minute, taking the direct insert from
Ashley Tricarico (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and firing another shot into the back of the cage.
Up 4-0 entering the second half, the Hawks let their foot off the gas slightly in the early stages of the third quarter. Houghton picked up a quick tally from Ava Kramp off a feed from Jace Hunzinger just under two minutes into the second half to briefly swing the momentum back into their favor.
Hartwick held a 20-4 edge in total shots, including a 12-3 mark in shots on goal.
NO. 5 ST. JOHN FISHER 3, NO. 4 NAZARETH 0
The No. 5 seeded Cardinals scored two goals 2:15 apart early in the second half to break a scoreless tie and defeat No. 4 Nazareth, 3-0 from NLPA Field. St. John Fisher improved to 9-10 on the season, while Nazareth had its season come to an end with a 9-8 mark.
Sydney Burns, Emma Cooper and Molly Fisher scored second half goals for St. John Fisher, while Audrey Grieb dished out two assists. Senja Matson made three saves to earn her fourth shutout of the year.
The Cardinals seized momentum early and carried play throughout, out-shooting Nazareth, 23-4. Mackenzie Halliday made 12 saves in defeat for Nazareth.
St. John Fisher avenged a 2-0 loss to Nazareth in the regular season.
2024 Empire 8 Field Hockey Championship Schedule
Monday, November 4 – First Round
No. 3 Hartwick defeated No. 6 Houghton, 4-1 – BOX SCORE
No. 5 St. John Fisher defeated No. 4 Nazareth, 3-0 – BOX SCORE
Thursday, November 7 - Semifinals
No. 5 St. John Fisher at No. 1 SUNY Geneseo – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 3 Hartwick at No. 2 SUNY Brockport – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Sunday, November 10 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 -– TBA (at highest remaining seed)
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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