Utica University’s women’s soccer season ended Saturday with a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Nazareth University in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament quarterfinals.
The Pioneers were the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament. Nazareth advanced to the semifinal round along with No. 1 St. John Fisher University, No. 3 Houghton University and No. 4 SUNY Geneseo after all four top seeds won their quarterfinal matches.
Quarterfinal results
- St. John Fisher 2, Elmira 0
- Nazareth 2, Utica 0
- Houghton 2, Hartwick 1, in overtime
- Geneseo 3, SUNY Brockport 1
St. John Fisher improved to 15-2 and matched the 1982 Cardinals for the most wins in program history. Elmira finished the season 5-12-1. St. John Fisher is seeking its second consecutive Empire 8 championship.
The semifinal matchups are scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4. Nazareth will play Houghton at 10 a.m., followed by St. John Fisher against Geneseo at 6 p.m.
Geneseo and St. John Fisher will meet less than two weeks after Geneseo handed the Cardinals their only conference loss of the season, a 2-1 result at Growney Stadium on Oct. 24. Nazareth defeated Houghton 3-1 at home on Oct. 7.
The semifinal winners will meet for the Empire 8 championship Saturday, Nov. 7, at a time to be determined at the highest remaining seed. The conference champion will receive the league’s automatic berth in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship, with first- and second-round matches beginning the weekend of Nov. 13-15.
