2019 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Semifinal
#3 Alfred University (7-11, 3-3 Empire 8) vs #2 Sage Gators (9-8, 3-3 Empire 8)
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019; 7 p.m.
(ACP Stadium, Albany, N.Y.)
Live Video Live Stats (XML)
ALFRED, N.Y. – Fresh off a thrilling 1-0 victory over St. John Fisher College last Saturday, the Alfred University men's soccer team sets its eyes on Empire 8 postseason play, with the Saxons competing in the Empire 8 Semifinal at Sage on Wednesday.
The Saxons, seeded third, will travel to face No. 2 Sage for a 7 p.m. contest in Albany. It's the first postseason matchup between the two teams. On the other side of the bracket, regular season champion and top-seeded Nazareth hosts fourth-seeded Elmira on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet for the Empire 8 crown on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Alfred's (7-11, 3-3 Empire 8) rollercoaster season continues after a dramatic victory in the regular season finale. After dropping its first three conference games, the Saxons got hot at the right time, defeating Houghton, Utica, and St. John Fisher to earn the third seed. After starting the season 2-8, Alfred is 5-3 since the beginning of October. The Saxons are in the tournament field for the second year in a row; it's the first time that Alfred has made the tournament in consecutive seasons since the 2003-04 seasons. Alfred is seeking its third Empire 8 title in school history (2003, 2001).
AU sits third in the league in scoring, tallying 1.6 goals per game. The Saxons are led offensively by Player of the Year candidate
Justin Eaton (Williamson, N.Y./Williamson). Eaton leads the conference in points (27), goals (13), shots (65), and shots on goal (32). Nationally, Eaton is third among all Division III rookies in goals and second in goals per game (0.93). Eaton's 13 points is a school season record, surpassing the old mark of 12, set by Jarrett Sanatar in 2004 and Frankie Mannino in 2011.
Zachary Gloskin (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) leads the conference with seven assists, adding three goals for 13 points.
Evan Merkey (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) has nine points, on four goals and one assist. Merkey is tied for second on the team in goals, along with rookie
Saif Alseyofi (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/AQS).
Defensively, Merkey,
Seamus Doyle (Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore), and
Mason Sanborn (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) man the Alfred back line. Rookie goalkeeper
Jon Nadolne (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber) returned from injury late in the season, giving the Saxons a boost. He's allowed just one goal in the last three conference contests, including a four-save shutout against Fisher last Saturday, the first in his collegiate career.
Sage (9-8, 3-3 Empire 8) enters the tournament field after winning its last three conference contests. The Gators owned the tiebreaker over the Saxons, after a narrow 2-1 victory at Yunevich Stadium on Sept. 28. In that contest, Giddel Alvarado got Sage on the board early in the second half, before Eaton tied things up off a set piece in the 63
rd minute. With just over two minutes left in regulation, Rafael Holquin slotted the game winner, and Sage held off a last-second Alfred corner try to take the win.
The Gators sport four double-digit scorers, led by Kevin Winglosky's 11 points, off five goals and one assist. Alvarado (three goals, four assists), Griffin Goodemote (four goals, two assists), and Jeaneste Pierre (four goals, two assists) each have 10 points. Lucas Bourdeau has 15 starts in net, tallying a solid 0.99 goals against average, along with a .798 save percentage.
