PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Antonio Robles scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 60th minute as the top-seeded St. John Fisher College men's soccer team outlasted fourth-seeded Nazareth College, 1-0, in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship on the pitch inside Growney Stadium.  With the win, Fisher, which improved to 5-1 following the victory, advanced to its first Empire 8 title game since 2016 when the Cardinals won the conference crown.  The Golden Flyers had their season come to a close with a 3-3 overall mark.

After a scoreless first half of play, Fisher looked to push the tempo in the second as the Cardinals earned two corner kick opportunities in the first 15 minutes of play. 

The persistence paid off in the 60th minute when Matt Gentile controlled the ball at midfield before threading a pass up the seam to Brennan Brown who beat the Golden Flyers' keeper to the ball and fed Robles on the opposite side for an open-net tally.

Leading 1-0 late in the game, Fisher continued to control the pace as Gentile fired two shots in a span of 45 seconds, but the contest remained a one-goal affair.  With time running out, Nazareth was able to create some space at the top of the box and unloaded a shot, but the Cardinals were positioned perfectly and turned the attempt away.

In all, Fisher's back line allowed just six shots on the night and yielded just one corner to the Golden Flyers.

The Cardinals were credited with 10 shots in the win led by Gentile who had three and was awarded an assist.  Ben Woolingham had two shots while Ben Conrow, Cam Webb, Justin Bonetto, Ryan Collins and Robles had one shot each.

Jadon Schlierf moved to 5-1 in goal for the Cardinals as the sophomore keeper turned in his second clean sheet of the season.  He did not face a shot on goal in the win.

The Cardinals will look to finish off their title run at 2 p.m. on Sunday when they welcome third-seeded Russell Sage to campus for the Empire 8 finale at Growney Stadium.