ALFRED, NY- Following the shortened spring season, the Alfred University women's soccer team will remain focused on finding success in the Empire 8 Tournament. The Saxons enter the tournament as the #6 seed and travel to face #3 St. John Fisher College in the first round. The first whistle is scheduled on Tuesday at 4pm from Growney Stadium.

Fans can tune into the game by following this link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/
For live stats, please proceed to the following link: https://athletics.sjfc.edu/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary

Alfred finished the regular season with a 0-5 (0-5 Empire 8) overall record, while the Cardinals ended with a 2-2-1 (2-2-1 Empire 8) standing. The Saxons scored their first goal of the season during their home match against Houghton College on April 8^th.

Alfred and St. John Fisher first met on March 27^th, where the Cardinals won by a 1-0 margin. The Saxons earned seven corner kicks and placed four of their seven shots on goal. St. John Fisher took advantage of the open field in the closing minutes of the first half to find the back of the net, while their defense withstood Alfred's attempt of a comeback.

"We're a different time now from when we played St. John Fisher the first time," Head Coach Craig Yanni said. "We left too much space at the midfield position. Defensively, we need to stay tighter and make it easier on ourselves.

The Saxons have relied on their overall growth to get to this point. Senior forward Katline Cartwright (Le Roy, NY/Le Roy) has totaled one goal to go with a team-high eight shots this season.

Junior forward Karah Landries (Angelica, NY/Genesee Valley Central) has been the Saxons' most accurate shooter to this point, placing four of seven shots on goal. She recorded a team-high two shots, one being on goal, against St. John Fisher earlier in the regular season.

The corner kick effort from first-year defender Jacey Palmgreen (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) has been important as well. The Saxons averaged more than five corner kick opportunities per game during the regular season.

"We're going to need to convert on the offensive end," Yanni said. "Some injuries are going to force us to make some changes at the top, but we're prepared. We have to stay aggressive and find ways to score."

Junior defender Mackenzie O'Brien (Akron, NY/Akron) has been a staple of Alfred's defense, compiling a team-high 450 minutes played.

"Mackenzie and Jacey have been great for us this season," Yanni said. "We just need to communicate effectively and stay on top of our marks. This match will be about a collective effort on both ends."

The success of the Saxons will be centered around their goalkeeping. Both sophomore Hannah Fuller (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) and first-year Jasmine Sims (Yorkshire, NY/Pioneer) have spent time in goal, combining for 37 saves on 64 shots faced.

"We are going to be a lot more unified going into this game," Yanni said. "We knew this season was about growth and getting better over the course of the regular season. This match provides us with a blank slate, which I know we're excited about."