Empire 8 Athletic Conference
St. John Fisher to host Nazareth in the Empire 8 Championship Saturday; Cardinals will attempt to win fifth straight league title
Men's Lacrosse | 5/1/2024 6:43:00 PM
No. 1 seed St. John Fisher University (11-7) and No. 2 seed Nazareth College (12-6) advanced to the 2024 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship game after earning semifinal wins on Wednesday, May 1. St. John Fisher defeated No. 4 seed Hartwick College, 30-7, while Nazareth earned a 16-8 home win over No. 3 seed Alfred University.
The Cardinals will host Nazareth in the 2024 E8 Men's Lacrosse Championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 from Growney Stadium. St. John Fisher is looking to win its fifth straight Empire 8 Championship, while Nazareth is attempting to win its 11th Empire 8 title in program history and first since 2017. The winner of Saturday's game will earn an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament.
St. John Fisher and Nazareth will meet for the second time this season. The Cardinals used a 7-0 second quarter outburst to defeat Nazareth on the road by a score of 12-4 on April 13. Matthew Kemmis tallied three goals and added an assist, while Ben Hammond earned the win with eight saves in net.
It is the fourth straight year that St. John Fisher and Nazareth will meet in the E8 Championship game. Last season, the Cardinals knocked off Nazareth 19-7 in the title game.
NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 30, NO. 4 HARTWICK 7
The top-seeded Cardinals jumped out to an 11-0 lead after one quarter of play on its way to a 30-7 win over No. 4 seed Hartwick from Growney Stadium
Brady Mason led a balanced St. John Fisher offensive attack with eight points on four goals and four assists, while Matthew Kemmis had seven points on four goals and three assists. Timmy Salit had three goals and a pair of assists, while Ethan Kesselring scored four goals and Sean Donaldson had a four point day (2-2-4).
Fisher’s defense caused 12 Hartwick turnovers, with Jack Cornell leading the way with four. Logan Grom and Aiden Smith combined to go 19-for-27 at the face-off "X": In goal, Ben Hammond made seven saves in 39 minutes of play to earn the win.
Garrett Frost scored three goals to lead Hartwick, who had its season come to an end with a 5-9 mark. Kaiden Johnson made eight saves in goal.
As a team, Fisher outshot the Hawks, 58-26 and won the ground ball battle, 42-19.
The Cardinals have now won 36 straight games against Empire 8 foes, regular season and postseason, dating back to the 2019 season.
NO. 2 NAZARETH 16, NO. 3 ALFRED 8
Senior Quinn McKercher and junior Brendan Regan combined for eightgoals including three in the second quarter as Nazareth University (12-6) used a six-goal second quarter to pull away from Alfred University (10-5) as the Golden Flyers went on to post a 16-8 victory Wednesday afternoon in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Tournament.
The Golden Flyers relied on a strong defense in the first quarter to take a 2-0 lead. Juniors Andy Hamel and Owen Riley each scored for the Golden Flyers while sophom*ore goalie McLean Ralston made seven saves on the first seven shots on goal to keep the Saxons off the board.
In the second quarter, McKercher scored the first of five goals on the day to start a four-goal run that ended with a Regan goal as Nazareth went ahead 6-1. Sophom*ores William O'Neill and Kyle Rosenberger both scored in the run.
Alfred scored three of the next four goals to trim the lead before McKercher scored his second goal of the game to end the half.
McKercher started the third quarter with a goal. The teams traded goals as Regan scored his second and third goals of the contest and sophom*ore Matthew Farrington scored to end the quarter with Nazareth leading 12-6.
McKercher, O'Neill and senior Sal Ingrassia each scored in the fourth and McKercher capped the scoring late in the quarter for the final score.
McKercher finished with five goals and an assist for six points and Farrington had a goal and five assists. Regan had a career-high three goals and Ralston finished with 18 saves.
2024 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 1 - Semifinals
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
No. 3 Alfred University at No. 2 Nazareth University – 4 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
Saturday, May 4 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
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.
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