SUNY Geneseo Wins Second Consecutive Empire 8 Field Hockey Championship, 5-1 Over Nazareth

Knights improve to 20-1 on the season and earn the Empire 8's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tourmament

SUNY Geneseo Athletic Communications

Field Hockey | 11/8/2025 6:12:00 PM

GENESEO, NY - The SUNY Geneseo field hockey team won its second straight Empire 8 title on Saturday afternoon, defeating Nazareth 5-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Knights improve to 20-1 on the season with the win, while Sara O'Donnell was named the Tournament MVP for the Knights. Nazareth had its season come to an end with a 14-6 record, having advanced to the E8 title game for the first time since 2019.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

  • Ella Greico put the Knights on the board with 6:10 left to play, knocking it in out of the air off a great pass from Sam Lewis.
  • Nazareth managed to tie it 1-1 at the end of the first quarter on a goal by Audra Mieczkowski.
  • The Knights peppered The Golden Flyers net, putting up nine shots before Kyra Giannelli swatted in the rebound from a defensive save to take the lead at halftime. 
  • Greico scored her second of the game just one minute into the third period, picking up her own rebound, making it 3-1. Giannelli followed, scoring another Knights goal with just over five to play, redirecting a shot from Shannon Cunningham.  
  • Emma Landers gave Geneseo their fifth goal of the game, getting the rebound from Lewis' shot with a minute left to play. The Knights held strong and secured the back-to-back Empire 8 Championship title.  

QUICK FACTS: 

  • Ella Greico and Krya Giannelli led with two goals each while Sam Lewis had two assists.  
  • The Knights 20-1 record this season marks the program's best regular season finish since its inception in 1997.  
  • Ella Greico ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in goals per game and points per game, averaging 1.30 goals and 3.15 points. She leads the Empire 8 in scoring with 67 points on 28 goals and 11 assists.
  • The Knights head into the postseason ranked No. 2 in goals per game and points per game, scoring an average of 4.75 per game and totaling 12.60 points per game.  
  • Nazareth goalkeeper Lauren Bachner made 15 saves in defeat.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights await the details of their next game, the NCAA selection show will air Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on NCAA.com