ROCHESTER, NY – The Alfred University women's soccer team saw their 2023 season come to a close following a narrow 1-0 loss to #2 St. John Fisher on Wednesday evening as part of the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals.
 
The Saxons defended 15 shots from the Cardinals, 9 of which were on goal.
 
Abby Scanlan (Albion, NY/Charles D'Amico) was responsible for AU's lone shot on goal. Julia Flaitz (Arkport, NY/Arkport Central) finished the game with 1 shot. Kiani Barnard-Pratt (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) picked up 8 saves for AU.
 
 "I'm really proud of the effort the team put in throughout the year," Head Coach Craig Yanni said. "We had a lot of ups and downs and they never wavered. This wasn't how we wanted to end the season, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort on the team's part. I can't thank our four seniors Jacey, Olivia, Abby, and Shelby for all they have given to our program. In the big picture, there are a lot of great things for us to build on from this."
 
The Saxons defense faced pressure early and often in the opening half, rejecting 2 corner kick attempts and 3 shots from the Cardinals across the first 15 minutes of play. Scanlan tallied a shot on goal that was ultimately saved during the 15th minute. The first true scoring opportunity for Alfred University came during a corner kick opportunity that missed the mark in the 32nd minute. The Saxons defended one late corner kick from Fisher before going into the break with a scoreless draw.
 
Alfred University continued to display strong defensive play in the early stages of the second half, limiting St. John Fisher to just 2 shots on goal across the first 30 minutes. A late foul on AU resulted in a corner kick opportunity for the Cardinals, as they scored in the 89th minute and went on to secure the win.