TROY, NY – A late goal from Russell Sage College resulted in a 1-0 win over the Alfred University women's soccer team during the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament on Tuesday afternoon from ACHPS Stadium.
 
The Saxons (6-7-5, 3-2-4 Empire 8) faced 21 shots from the Gators (8-9-1, 6-3 Empire 8), 13 of which were on goal.
 
"I thought we came out and really worked hard for 90 minutes," Head Coach Craig Yanni said. "It certainly wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, but the team has to be proud of the work they put in today. We had some people play through some injuries and give us quality minutes."
 
The defense for Alfred University was forced to step up early in the opening half, successfully defending three shots and two corner kicks across the first 10 minutes of action. Lina Young (North Collins, NY/North Collins) was the first to record a shot on goal for AU in the 11th minute. The Saxons continued to play efficient defensively, rejecting the Gators' next six shots to carry a scoreless draw into halftime. In the second half, Olivia Gilbert (Ontario, NY/Wayne Central) was the first Saxon to put a shot on target. Russell Sage forced eight shots before finding the back of the net in the 84th minute to take the 1-0 advantage. Jacey Palmgreen (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) recorded a header for the Saxons in the closing minutes, but Alfred University could not get themselves on the scoreboard before the final horn.
 
"Congratulations to our senior class for giving so much to our program," Yanni said. "We are returning a majority of our roster which should give us a great opportunity for growth for next season."
 
This season marks improvement for the women's soccer program across the board. From a team standpoint, their 0.89 goals against average is the lowest under Yanni's tenure. In Empire 8 competition, the Saxons put together seven shutout performances in the regular season.