Women's Soccer | 11/4/2026 9:18:05 PM
No. 2 Nazareth University and No. 4 SUNY Geneseo advanced in semifinal play during the 2026 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Nazareth began the day with a 5-2 win over No. 3 Houghton University from Golden Flyer Stadium, while Geneseo earned a 3-1 road win from Growney Stadium.
Nazareth (12-3-3) will host SUNY Geneseo (11-4-3) in the 2026 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship match on Saturday, November 7 at noon from Golden Flyer Stadium. The Golden Flyers, led by head coach Gail Mann, is aiming to win its 14th Empire 8 Championship. The Golden Flyers are in the title game for the 18th time since the tourney began in 2002. Geneseo, led by head coach Quintin Rogers won the 2024 E8 Championship and is in the title game for the second time in three seasons as a league member,
Nazareth and Geneseo recently met on Sept. 30 from College Stadium with the Golden Flyers pulling out a 3-1 win. Savanna Biehler scored a pair of goals for Nazareth, while Ella Yartym scored for Geneseo. Nazareth held an 11-3 edge in shots.
Saturday's winner earns the Empire 8's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament, which begins Nov. 13-15.
NO. 4 SUNY GENESEO 3, NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 1
The SUNY Geneseo women's soccer team punched its ticket to the Empire 8 Championship with a 3-1 victory over the No. 1-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals.
Ella Yartym led the offensive charge with a pair of goals, while
Maggie Zito added an early strike to help the Knights secure their spot in the conference finals. St. John Fisher fell to 15-3-0.
The Knights wasted no time finding the back of the net, as Maggie Zito capitalized on a rebound from Laura DeMura's shot just five minutes into the contest to give Geneseo an early 1-0 advantage.
Ella Yartym extended the lead, getting on the end of a ball played into the box by Clair Woolingham. After beating the Cardinals' goalkeeper to the 50/50 ball, Yartym chipped it into the net to send the Knights into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Geneseo carried its momentum into the second half, and Yartym struck again just 45 seconds after the break. A perfectly placed through ball from DeMura sent Yartym in behind the defense, where she finished to put the Knights up 3-0. St. John Fisher managed to break through in the final minute, but the Knights held firm to secure the 3-1 win and their place in the Empire 8 Championship.
Yartym's two-goal performance brings her season total to 14 goals. Natalie Budgar anchored the Knights in net, earning her third consecutive win.
The Knights advance to the Empire 8 Championship for the second time in three years. Their last appearance resulted in a 1-0 championship victory over Nazareth.
NO. 2 NAZARETH 5, NO. 3 HOUGHTON 2
Nazareth erupted for five goals on Wednesday to down No. 3 Houghton 5-2 in the Empire 8 semifinals at Golden Flyer Stadium. Sophomore
Giuliana Rodriguez had a career-high two goals and two assists in the win, while
Shannon Sgombick,
Aubrey Rizzo, and
Brynn Furbeck each had a goal and an assist.
Nazareth moves to 12-3-3 overall, while Houghton drops to 11-6-2. Taylor Curyto scored both goals for Houghton in the loss.
Nazareth enjoyed a phenomenal start to the game, scoring two goals in the first 8:35 and then another at the 18:05 mark. The opening goal came from Sgombick. Rodriguez cut the ball back from the endline that Rizzo one-timed and Sgombick finished off. Similar to Nazareth's first goal, the second goal came with cutting a pass back from the endline. Biehler played it back to the 8-yard box and Rodriguez buried it with the left foot on a one-time shot. The momentum kept going in the 19th minute, connecting a series of passes to make it 3-0. Sgombick found Rodriguez for a one-time pass and Rizzo was able to knee the ball in from 8-yards out.
Houghton got a goal back off a corner kick in the 29th as Curyto redirected in a corner kick attempt.
Nazareth helped stave off some strong pressure from the Highlanders in the second half with an important goal coming from Rodriguez in the 69th minute. Furbeck took a pass off the corner kick and launched a perfectly weight ball to Rodriguez for the header goal.
The score remained 4-1 until the 79th minute when the Highlanders converted a penalty kick that was awarded due to a hand ball in the box. The dynamic Nazareth offense found the net one more time in the 87th minute when
Camryn Schiavitti played a diagonal ball to Furbeck for a one-time shot into the net.
The four points for Rodriguez was a career-high. Nazareth has held opponents to just three goals in the last seven games dating back to October 14.
Katriana Walls made a career-high nine saves in the win to improve to 12-3-3 on the season.
The five goals for Nazareth were the most in an Empire 8 tournament game for Nazareth since 2004, a 6-0 win over the semifinals over Elmira. The last team to score five goals in an E8 Tourney game was Utica in 2022.
2026 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship Tournament Schedule
Saturday, October 31 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 1 St. John Fisher University defeated No. 8 Elmira College, 2-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 2 Nazareth University defeated No. 7 Utica University, 2-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Houghton University defeated No. 6 Hartwick College, 2-1 (OT) – BOX SCORE
No. 4 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 5 SUNY Brockport, 3-2 – BOX SCORE
Wednesday, November 4 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 2 Nazareth University defeated No. 3 Houghton University, 5-2 – BOX SCORE
No. 4 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 1 St. John Fisher University, 3-1 – BOX SCORE
Saturday, November 7 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
No. 4 SUNY Geneseo at No. 2 Nazareth University – 12 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS