Men's Soccer | 10/31/2026 9:19:27 PM
SUNY Geneseo, Nazareth University, SUNY Brockport, and Hartwick College advanced to the 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament Semifinal round after advancing in quarterfinal action on Saturday, Oct. 31. Top-seed Geneseo out-lasted No. 8 Houghton University, 1-0, while No. 3 Nazareth defeated No. 6 seed Alfred University, 2-1. Road teams won two first round games, as No. 5 seed SUNY Brockport earned a 2-1 win over No. 4 seed St. John Fisher University and No. 7 Hartwick shut out the No. 2 seed Utica University, 2-0.
No. 1 SUNY Geneseo will host No. 5 SUNY Brockport in the first Empire 8 Semifinal on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. from College Stadium, while No. 3 Nazareth will host No. 7 Hartwick in the second semifinal from Golden Flyer Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
Earlier this season, SUNY Brockport defeated SUNY Geneseo, 1-0 on its home field on Sept. 23. It is also a rematch of the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Championship game, which Geneseo won 3-2 in overtime. Nazareth earned a 2-1 home win over Hartwick on Sept. 19.
The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7 at a time to be determined. The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, which begins with first and second round action the weekend of Nov. 13-15.
NO. 1 SUNY GENESEO 2, NO. 8 HOUGHTON 0
The SUNY Geneseo men's soccer team punched its ticket to the Empire 8 semifinals with a commanding 2-0 victory over Houghton. The Knights extended their win streak to eight games, improving to 13-4-1 overall as they continue their postseason push. The Highlanders had their season end with a 7-6-4 mark.
The opening half featured a hard-fought battle, with both teams looking for the breakthrough.
Max Crothall stood tall between the posts, turning away three consecutive Houghton attempts to keep the Highlanders off the board and send the teams into halftime deadlocked.
The Knights finally cracked the scoreboard in the second half with a well-executed set piece. After
Michael Ruggiero drew a foul,
Eric Carnes delivered a dangerous free kick into the box.
Ferenc Bagi connected with
Dwight Valladares, who rose above the defense and headed home his first career goal to put Geneseo on top, 1-0.
Geneseo struck again to double its advantage.
Owen Burke put a shot on target, and
Amir Bonseu was in the right place to collect the rebound and chip it over the goalkeeper for the insurance goal. With the defense continuing to shut down Houghton's attack, the Knights closed out the 2-0 win and secured their place in the semifinals.
Max Crothall turned aside four shots, earning his 13th win and sixth shutout of the season.
Eric Carnes assisted on both goals, bringing his season total to six assists.
NO. 7 HARTWICK 2, NO. 2 UTICA 0
Hartwick used a strong effort to advance to the E8 Semifinals with a 2-0 win over host Utica from Gaetano Stadium. The Hawks improve to 7-10-0, while Utica had its season end with a 9-7-2 mark.
Joseph Allen (Clifton Park, N.Y.) opened the scoring for the Hawks with his first goal of the season, while Muhammad Troare (Manchester, N.H.) added his fourth goal of the year in the second half.
Devin Chandler (Wylie, Tex.) assisted on both goals, finishing with two points. Hartwick outshot the Pioneers 17-14, placing seven attempts on goal, and held a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks.
Defensively,
Nils Ole Petersen (Greiz, Germany) recorded three saves across 90 minutes to secure the shutout, while the Hawks' back line held Utica to just three shots on goal.
With the victory, Hartwick improves to 7-10 overall and 5-6 in conference play.
Utica opened the contest with offensive pressure, recording three shots within the first three minutes of play. Hartwick responded with opportunities of its own as
Andres Ordonez Acosta (Estado de Mexico, Mexico) registered the Hawks' first attempt in the fourth minute. The Hawks continued to generate chances throughout the opening half, including a shot on goal from
Wilson Mount (Atlanta, Ga.) in the 25th minute and another from
Jon Smith (Bremen, Ga.) in the 29th minute. Petersen kept the Pioneers off the scoreboard with a save in the 23rd minute.
Hartwick broke through in the 42nd minute when Chandler delivered a corner kick that Allen headed into the upper-right corner of the net, giving the Hawks a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
The Hawks maintained their lead into the second half as Utica looked to find an equalizer. In the 65th minute, Hartwick doubled its advantage when Chandler connected with Troare on another corner kick, with Troare heading the ball into the upper-left corner to extend the lead to 2-0.
NO. 3 NAZARETH 2, NO. 6 ALFRED 1
The third seed Nazareth Men's Soccer Team scored a goal in each half and
Bryan Tirado made six saves to lift the Golden Flyers 2-1 over No. 6 Alfred on Saturday in the Empire 8 Quarterfinals. With the win, Nazareth improves to 10-4-1 overall, while Alfred drops to 8-4-4.
Nazareth dominated the opening half, finishing with 9 shots to 2 for the Saxons
. Cash Rosado earned a penalty kick with 19 minutes left in the half, but
Samuel Burton was unable to convert the opportunity. Nazareth eventually broke through in the 33rd minute. A free kick from 25-yards out near the corner from
Braden Callahan was headed back toward Warmington who took a touch and perfectly curved the shot into the upper 90 to make it 1-0.
Tirado made a difficult save six minutes into the second half, diving to push the attempt asideShortly after
Samuel Burton. saved what would-be-goal with a kick-save. Alfred kept the pressure churned up generating two big chances with 22 minutes remaining but Tirado stood tall. He tipped one opportunity over the bar and stopped one shortly after with his foot
In the 78th minute, first year
Pascal Pascia had a great individual effort, beating his defender down the flank and cutting in for the goal to make it 2-1
The Saxons went down swinging, however, as Niko Lampros Mendoza scored a goal in the 84th minute by to pull within 2-1.
NO. 5 SUNY BROCKPORT 2, NO. 4 ST. JOHN FISHER 1
The No. 5-seeded Brockport men's soccer team advance to the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals, defeating No. 4-seeded St. John Fisher University 2-1 on the road.
Ryan Mathis scored both goals for the Golden Eagles, including the game-winner in the second half, as Brockport improved to 8-6-3 overall. Fisher had its season end with a 7-6-3 mark.
St. John Fisher struck first in the 18th minute when Adam Grover converted a penalty kick at 17:25, giving the Cardinals an early 1-0 advantage. Brockport responded in the 31st minute as Mathis found the back of the net off an assist from
Aiden Johnson at 30:46, evening the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
The Golden Eagles came out strong in the second half, controlling possession and creating scoring opportunities. Mathis broke the tie at 64:09, recording his second goal of the contest to give Brockport a 2-1 lead. The Golden Eagles maintained their advantage throughout the remainder of the match, holding the Cardinals without a shot in the second half to secure the postseason victory.
Brockport outshot St. John Fisher 13-7 overall, including an 8-0 advantage in the second half. The Golden Eagles recorded six shots on goal compared to Fisher's one, while also holding a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Mathis led the offensive effort with four shots, three on goal, and two goals.
Jadin Lyle added four shots, while Johnson contributed an assist. Goalkeeper
AJ Nelson played all 90 minutes in net, helping the Golden Eagles secure the victory.
With the win, Brockport advances to the Empire 8 Semifinals for the third consecutive season since joining the conference in 2024. The Golden Eagles will look to continue their postseason run after reaching the Empire 8 Championship game last season.
2026 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Schedule
Saturday, October 31 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 1 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 8 Houghton University, 2-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 7 Hartwick College defeated No. 2 Utica, 2-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Nazareth University defeated No. 6 Alfred University, 2-1 – BOX SCORE
No. 5 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 4 St. John Fisher University, 2-1 – BOX SCORE
Wednesday, November 4 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 1 SUNY Geneseo – 1 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 7 Hartwick College at No. 3 Nazareth University – 1:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, November 7 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2 – TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS