No. 1-Seeded Men's Soccer Set To Host No. 8 Sage To Open Empire 8 Championship

Last Time Out: St. John Fisher 1, Nazareth 0

• The Cardinals won their sixth consecutive game and clinched the Empire 8 Conference regular-season title outright with a 1-0 victory over crosstown rival Nazareth on Wednesday afternoon at Golden Flyer Field. 
• The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie just more than halfway through the second half on fifth-year midfielder Joey Avallone's team-leading sixth goal of the season. He dribbled the ball about 70 yards before firing it past Nazareth goalkeeper Logan Menna for his third goal in his last two games.
• Cardinals goalkeeper Christian Burkhart, who set the Fisher single-season record for shutouts over the weekend, recorded his 10th clean sheet of the season. He made three saves, including a spectacular sprawling stop on Nazareth's best scoring chance with about five minutes remaining in the contest. 
• Wednesday's victory marked Fisher's second in a row over Nazareth. The program hadn't won consecutive games in the series since a three-game winning streak from 2014-16.

Fisher Notes To Know

• The Cardinals finished the regular season 9-4-4 overall (8-1-2 Empire 8). 
• The Cardinals' nine regular-season victories are their most under Burgasser, who took over the program before the 2020 season. 
• The Cardinals' nine wins are the most for the program in a season since the 2009 team won 10 games. 
• Only three other Fisher teams since 2005 have won nine or more games in a season. 
• The Cardinals have won the Empire 8 regular-season title two times in the last three seasons (2022 and 2024). They shared the title last season with Elmira and had the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship.
• Burkhart, a fifth-year senior, enters the postseason tied with four goalkeepers for first in Division III with 10 shutouts. 
• Burkhart's 10 shutouts are the most by an Empire 8 goalkeeper since Aaron Henry (Stevens) had 13 in 2018. He's the first conference goalkeeper to reach double-digit shutouts since that season. 
• Burkhart broke Fisher’s single-season record for shutouts in a 6-0 win over Keuka last Saturday. 
• Burkhart ranks second in the Empire 8 with 61 saves. He’s allowed the second-fewest goals in the conference (11).
• The Cardinals have allowed just one goal during their six-game winning streak. They have blanked their last three opponents. 
• The Cardinals haven’t allowed multiple goals since a 2-1 loss to Russell Sage on Oct. 5. Only two teams – Sage and the University of Rochester – scored multiple goals on the Cardinals this season. 
•  Avallone leads the Cardinals in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16). 
• Avallone's 16 total points are the most by a Fisher player since Riley Rease had 22 in 2021. 
• Avallone is tied for the Empire 8 lead in goals in conference games this season. His 16 points are the most by a player in conference games.
• Avallone has tallied multiple points in five contests this season. He had a career-high five in Fisher’s dominant win over Keuka last weekend. 
• Sophomore forward Jack Tamburino (5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points) and senior forward Riley Rease (4 goals, 3 assists, 11 points) also have double-digit points this season.

Last Meeting: Russell Sage 2, St. John Fisher 1

• The Gators earned their first-ever road victory over the Cardinals on Oct. 5. 
• El Hadji Iba Sy broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second half. Alejandro Aleo got credit for the assist on the game-winning tally. 
• Tamburino scored Fisher’s lone goal in the contest on an assist from Jacob McGinnis.
• The Cardinals, 6-3 all-time against Sage, had won six of their last seven games against the Gators ahead of the Oct. 5 matchup. 

Russell Sage Notes

• The Gators finished the regular season 7-7-3 overall and 4-4-3 in the Empire 8. 
• El Hadji Iba Sy is tied for second in the Empire 8 in goals (9) and third in points (20). 
• El Hadji Iba Sy and Dimitri Gogas each have six assists this season, tied for the second most in the Empire 8. 
• The Gators scored 27 goals as a team during the regular season, the third most in the Empire 8.

Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule 

2024 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 2 – First Round 
No. 8 Russell Sage at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 4:30 p.m.
No. 7 Elmira at No. 2 Nazareth – 2:30 p.m.
No. 6 Hartwick at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 3:30 p.m.

No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 4 SUNY Poly – TBD

Wednesday, November 6 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed) 
Winner of St. John Fisher/Russell Sage vs. Winner of SUNY Poly/SUNY Brockport – TBD
Winner of Nazareth/Elmira vs. Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Hartwick – TBD

Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal Game 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – TBD

About the Empire 8 Conference

The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and YouTube.