Men's Soccer | 10/26/2022 9:06:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University men's soccer team prepares for the final two regular season games, which are set to take place at Medaille University on Wednesday, Oct. 26 and at Nazareth College on Saturday, Oct. 29.
 
The Cardinals enter the week with a 7-4-2 record, leading the Empire 8 with a 6-1 mark in conference play. Fisher enters the week winners of five-straight, not recording a loss or a tie in the month of October.
 
Medaille enters the week in third place in the conference with an 8-1-6 overall record and a 3-1-3 record in Empire 8 play. Nazareth, who enters the week on the brink of elimination, has played o a 4-8-3 record, going 2-2-4 in conference play.
 
Scouting the Opponents: Last season, Fisher met Medaille for the first time since 2015. In the first half of play, Matt Gentile sent a crossing pass in front of the goal to Riley Rease who connected on his fifth goal of the season to give the Cardinals the lead. In the 52nd minute, Medaille found a hole in the top corner of the goal to tie the game at 1-1. The game would end in a 1-1 tie, as Jadon Schlierf made 10 saves in 110 minutes of play.
 
Nazareth and Fisher met twice last season, both resulting in ties as well. In the conference championship tournament, the Golden Flyers took a quick 1-0 lead in the tenth minute of play. Down a goal, the Cardinals looked to respond in the 87th minute, when Ben Woolingham centered a ball for Rease to head home to level to the score at 1-1. While the score would remain 1-1 after overtime, Nazareth was able to win in penalty kicks, eliminating the Cardinals from championship contention.
 
Empire 8 Watch: The Cardinals have already amassed six wins in the conference this season, with the opportunity for more this week. This marks a program record for conference wins in a single season. A large part of the success has come from the defense, which has allowed six fewer goals than Russell Sage, who at 16 goals allowed this season ranks second in the conference. The Cardinals have allowed just three goals over their last three contests and have tallied six shutouts on the season.
 
Player to Watch: Continuing on the thought of defense, Trevor Heschke is the player to watch this week. The nursing major has been integral to the success of the defense, and with two critical games upcoming, look for big defensive plays from the sophomore.  
 
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