Men's Soccer Hosts Elmira With 2024 D III Men's Soccer Championship Berth On The Line

 E8 Semifinals (11/06/2024): St. John Fisher 0, No. 5 Brockport 0 (Fisher advances 4-1 in PKs)

• The No. 1-seeded St. John Fisher men's soccer team beat No. 5-seeded Brockport (7-6-5) in penalty kicks on Wednesday night at Growney Stadium to punch its ticket to the Empire 8 title game for the second consecutive year. 
• The Cardinals (10-4-5) will host No. 7-seeded Elmira (6-8-4) in a rematch of last year's conference championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Soaring Eagles beat the Cardinals 4-2 in penalty kicks in that game to secure a spot in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. 
• After two 10-minute overtime periods could not settle the Empire 8 semifinal stalemate, the Cardinals took care of the Golden Eagles quickly in penalty kicks. Troy Jezioro and fellow seniors Jacob McGinnis, Adam Grover and Joey Avallone converted on their chances, while Brockport put just one of its attempts past Fisher goalkeeper Christian Burkhart. The graduate student made sprawling stops on attempts by Russ Domm and Alex Rivara. 
• Burkhart, who made three saves, recorded his Division III-leading 12th shutout of the season. The Cardinals have not allowed a goal in regulation or overtime in their last five games. 

First Round (11/02/2024): St. John Fisher 1, Russell Sage 0

• The No. 1-seeded Cardinals scored early and held on the rest of the way for a 1-0 victory over No. 8-seeded Russell Sage in the first round of the Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday.
• Senior Riley Rease scored his fifth goal of the season – and fourth in his last five games – at the 5:47 mark in the first half. Fifth-year midfielder Joey Avallone had the assist. 
• Goalkeeper Christian Burkhart made five saves and recorded his 11th shutout of the season.

Fisher Notes To Know

• The Cardinals' 10 wins this season are their most under Burgasser, who took over the program before the 2020 season. 
• The Cardinals' 10 wins are tied for the second-most by a team in program history since at least 2005 (the 2009 and 2005 teams also won 10 games). The 2007 team holds the program record for single-season wins (12). 
• 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.
• Fisher won seven games in a row to reach the semifinals, the longest run of victories in program history. 
• The Cardinals, who haven't allowed a goal since a 3-1 win over Houghton on Oct. 16, have blanked seven of their last eight opponents. 
• The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 16-1 since their last loss (Oct. 5 to Russell Sage). 
• Burkhart has the most shutouts (12) in Division III. 
• Burkhart's 12 shutouts (10 regular season, two postseason) are the most by an Empire 8 goalkeeper since Aaron Henry (Stevens) had 13 in 2018.
• Burkhart has been named Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks. 
• Burkhart is Fisher's single-season record holder for shutouts. 
• The Cardinals have allowed the fewest goals (11) in the Empire 8 this season. 
• The Cardinals have allowed more than one goal in just two of their 18 contests this season. 
• The Cardinals have thirvied in tight games this season, as they have five 1-0 wins. 
• St. John Fisher has reached the conference semifinals in each of Burgasser’s five seasons in charge of the program. 
• Avallone leads the Cardinals in points (17), goals (6) and assists (5). 
• Avallone’s 17 total points points are the most by a Fisher player since Rease had 22 in 2021.
• Avallone has recorded at least one point in five of the Cardinals’ last seven games. He has 13 points total in that stretch. 
• Avallone has tallied multiple points in five contests this season. He had a career-high five in Fisher’s dominant win over Keuka two weeks ago. 
• Rease has 13 points over 12 games this season, the second most on the team. He has five goals and three assists. 
• Sophomore forward Jack Tamburino (5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points) has also been a consistent offensive threat for the Cardinals.

 With A Win In The E8 Title Game, The Cardinals/Soaring Eagles Would…

• The Cardinals would punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship…
• The Cardinals have only been to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship once before (2016)..
• Elmira would punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship for the second straight year…
• Elmira would beat Fisher in the E8 title game for the second straight year with a win… 

Series Notes

• The Cardinals beat Elmira 3-0 at Growney Stadium back on Sept. 14. Avallone scored two goals in that contest. 
• The Cardinals are 14-2-5 against the Soaring Eagles since 2005. 
• The Cardinals have won nine of their last 10 home games against Elmira.

Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule and Results

Participating Teams
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (26 points, 8-1-2 E8, 9-4-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth University (24 points, 7-1-3 E8, 10-3-4 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (21 points, 6-2-3 E8, 8-4-5 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Poly (19 points, 5-2-4 E8, 10-3-4 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (18 points, 5-3-3 E8, 6-6-4 Overall)
No. 6 – Hartwick College (18 points, 6-5-0 E8, 8-7-1 Overall)
No. 7 – Elmira College (17 points, 5-4-2 E8, 5-8-4 Overall)
No. 8 – Russell Sage College (15 points, 4-4-3 E8, 7-7-3 Overall)

2024 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule

Saturday, November 2 – Quarterfinals
No. 1 St. John Fisher defeated No. 8 Russell Sage, 1-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 5 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 4 SUNY Poly, 3-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 6 Hartwick draws No. 3 SUNY Geneseo, 1-1 (advances on PK's 6-5) – BOX SCORE
No. 7 Elmira defeated No. 2 Nazareth, 2-1 – BOX SCORE

Wednesday, November 6 - Semifinals 
No. 1 St. John Fisher tied No. 5 SUNY Brockport, 0-0 (St. John Fisher advances on PK's, 4-1) – BOX SCORE
No. 7 Elmira defeated No. 6 Hartwick, 2-0 – BOX SCORE

Saturday, November 9 - Championship Final
No. 7 Elmira at No. 1 St. John Fisher -– 4:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

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.