Empire 8

[Spartan94]

@SoccerBTN, great recap of the year as I too have been following E8, and I think you nailed it.  Watched Naz v SJF, and thought Naz carried the play for most of the game and SJF, like most games this year, capitalized on a Naz mistake in the back more than creating chances on their own. Elmira is the story though which you noted, and that field is 100% a huge homefield advantage, and watching it online was a treat like you said, you can hear every word from both benches and players. 

Mid week quarterfinal results - Naz lost to Alfred 2-1, and I was pretty surprised by that result to be fair.  Alfred has been hard to figure out all year and seem to be a very up and down group looking at the results not only in conference but out.  They draw SJF in semi's, and when they met last time, it was a 4-3 shootout with SJF outshooting Alfred 20(11)-5(4), in which Alfred made SJF pay for pretty much every defensive breakdown.  Should be a good game in Pittsford but I see SJF coming out of this one ... wondering who is between the pipes as well for SJF as it has been a pure rotation for the last 4-5 games. 

Hartwick took down Utica and for my money, I think Hartwick has the best chances to take Elmira out especially given their homefield advantage.  Hartwick plays a clean game, and have a similar grass surface at home, that is a bit better than Elmira, but certainly closer to that Elmira surface, which I think prepares them more for that style/pace of a game.  They brought in some key players from Medaille, and of the games I have watched they have been the most consistent game in and game out that plays within themselves and to the coaches game plan.  Coach Scott really does seem to do a great job with them.  Hartwick lost 0-1 at home in the regular season, but I think they get their revenge here. 

I am going to go with a Hartwick v SJF E8 final. I think Hartwick takes down Elmira in a tight game, with the grass surface playing less of a deciding factor there, and SJF taking down Alfred in the other semi, playing a lot tighter in the back and creating the same amount of chances they did in the regular season match up. 

As far as the AQ, I think you are right on there as well ... drawing a local powerhouse and bowing out in what would hopefully be a hard fought game with a good showing for the conference!

[Spartan94]

Looks like a rematch of Elmira and SJF for the E8 finals on Saturday ... Elmira hosts on Campus Field where they tied 0-0 with the Cardinals during their regular season matchup.

I did get a chance to watch both semi final matches, and the surface at Elmira seemed really poor.  There were more than a few plays in the middle of the field where the ball was rolling nicely and then randomly would pop up or sideways making it hard to play with confidence for any central player.  Hartwick had some chances and it was an evenly matched game but I do feel like that field is a difference maker for them .... especially for a team that plays on turf most of the year like SJF.  I think SJF's best chances will be to attack from wider spaces where the field appeared to be better ...

[stlawus]

What a coaching job by the Elmira staff.  First ever Empire 8 championship.

[Spartan94]

I agree they did a great job this year and really played to their strengths.  That field was absolutely a difference maker in the final and throughout the season for certain.  They showed a lot of resiliency in the 2nd OT by getting an equalizer to push to PK's.  Should be interesting to see how they do in the NCAAs.  Another bridesmaid never a bride story for the Cardinals ... will be interesting to see what happens next year with so many Seniors/Grad Students on the roster ...

[saint_forever]

I fully expect whoever draws Elmira, most likely Cortland or Oneonta, to pump them. On a decent field against a half decent opposition, they get beat by 3-4 goals.

[Soccer BTN]

Unfortunately field conditions are an element of the game that is no different than the varying levels of officials that you get from match to match. Both teams have to play with the same circumstances so you have to adjust. I can imagine that Fisher can point to several moments in each of their three E8 draws that could have secured themselves home field advantage and avoided a situation where a poor field could decide the conference.

As for the Final - Fisher must've felt there was no way they could execute the game plan that they implemented for the majority of the season. Switch in shape, 1st or 2nd ball direct, and to be fair they did generate 4-5 very dangerous chances. Finishing continued to haunt them as it has most of the season. A few miscues lead to the Elmira PK in 2OT just moments after scoring what could have been the game winner.

Elmira played the same game that they had played all season. They connected when they could, switched the ball to exploit 2v1s, and pounced on mistakes in the box. Martin Harguindey should have been rewarded as MVP for his two goals and setting the tone with the first PK, but the staff must have wanted to spread the love. Their season continues and while they could have some moments in their first round match, their last nonconference win came on the opening day of the season.

Incredible work by Head Coach Lamine Balde and his staff in his third season at Elmira. They will return almost all of their top players next season (barring transfers) and have earned an opportunity to double down on their success in recruiting as well.

[Spartan94]

I agree with the field, both teams needed to play on it and adapt to the conditions.  My only point I think was Elmira was a bit more accustomed to it, and their play as you mentioned, was tailored to conditions they were used to.  I agree that SJF had multiple chances and like the regular season just were not clinical in the final third in order to win this game or others this year. 

As far as NCAA prospects go for Elmira, they will most likely play a compact counter attack style and maybe they catch a team on a bad day and make them pay for their 1-2 mistakes in a match.  Not likely, but I have seen crazier things happen. 

[Soccer BTN]

SUNY Poly (2023 North Athletic Conference champions) will be joining the Empire 8 in 2024-2025.

https://empire8.com/news/2023/11/20/general-suny-polytechnic-institute-to-join-empire-8-as-12th-full-member-in-fall-of-2024.aspx

The conference will now include 12 members:
Alfred
Brockport
Elmira
Geneseo
Hartwick
Houghton
Keuka
Nazareth
Russell Sage
St. John Fisher
SUNY Poly
Utica

Interesting how a conference that once had schools like RIT, Ithaca, and Stevens has been so aggressive to bring in additional schools in recent years (including the recently shut down Medaille). Perhaps being proactive in the event of further departures or bracing for possible school closings?

[stlawus]

Mostly about travel. 

[Spartan94]

Will be interesting to see what the fall brings for certain.  None of the existing E8 appear to have financial strains from what I have researched (no tuition discount and endowments seem strong based on enrollment and tuition) so I wonder if some of the existing E8 schools move on into other leagues with similar locations and travel expectations. 

SUNY Poly is an interesting one for me, since they were in the MAC West Division which was 5 SUNY schools, 2 VT and one in Great Boston ... understanding Eastern Naz and VTSU were longer trips but that doesn't seem too much assuming one was home and the other was away games for each school? 

Only other options in the region are United East, AMCC, or SUNYAC ... SUNY would have been a huge jump in competition given the Massey rankings of the leagues ... this will be interesting to see how it unfolds though. 

[Soccer BTN]

Could wait until after today's game to give some background on the Empire 8 representative, but some interesting notes/stats heading into the reverse fixture of the 2023 E8 championship.

FISHER:
-GK Christian Burkhart currently leads the nation in shutouts (12). Made some game/season altering saves down the stretch, including an incredible double save (from point blank & quickly reacted to punch the ball away from a tap-in) to preserve a 1-0 lead late against Nazareth to secure the top seed. Burkhart also stopped two PKs against Brockport to send the Cardinals to the Championship game.
-Fisher is 8-1-1 since the beginning of October. They rarely concede clear cut chances (3 goals conceded in that stretch) but are inconsistent up front.
-Their hot streak came with 5th year midfielder Matt Gentile (2021 COVID Spring E8 Tournament MVP) in the lineup. Fisher is 7-1 with Gentile & 3-3-5 without him. Important to note that 4/5 games with 2+ goals came with Gentile playing, but he has missed the previous two matches.
-Fisher boasts an experienced lineup and have shifted from their deep rotation late in the season using only 12 field players. With Gentile, they utilized 11 Grads/5th years/Seniors (including GK), 1 Junior, and 1 Sophomore. They have not replaced Gentile other than a defensive substitute late to preserve a lead.

ELMRIA:
-Elmira entered the season with immense uncertainty after winning the E8 title in 2023. They lost 2023 E8 POY/2nd-team All-Region Forward Martin Harguindey, 1st-Team All-E8/3rd-team All-Region defender Kerfalla Toure, and 2023 COY Lamine Balde (who left just weeks prior to the start of the season).
-Similar to 2023, the Soaring Eagles struggled in non-conference play this season going 0-4-2 (compared to 1-6-1 in 2023).
-Elmira lost 0-3 at Fisher in their first E8 game on 9/14. The Soaring Eagles have not won a game at Fisher since 2009.
-Since their loss to Fisher, Elmira has scored in 13/14 games. In nine of those matches, they have scored 2+ goals.


This game will come down to who can stick to their game plan. Fisher played an even match against Brockport and were arguably lucky to not concede a PK with about 15 minutes left in regulation. Brockport took a firm hold of the momentum before Fisher almost finished the game in OT. Elmira overcame a 1-0 deficit vs. Nazareth with two quick goals (less than one minute apart) in the 65th minute and have looked like they have the same belief that lead them to the Empire 8 title last season.


BOTTOM LINE:
It is Fisher's game to lose. Fisher's athleticism will likely be too much for Elmira to handle. They will want to assert themselves early to avoid Elmira believing they can pull off a repeat. If Elmira does get multiple goals, Fisher will need to switch their game plan to earn the result. It is a blessing for anybody who watches that this season's Championship will not be played on a horrid surface like it was last year.

Although they are not deep, Fisher could cause problems for an NCAA Tournament opponent if they are able to continue their shutout streak. With that being said, they have struggled out of conference against average and below-average competition. Regardless of who wins, they will once again play against a top 10 opponent and would do well to keep the match respectable.