BROCKPORT, N.Y. — After securing a spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament, the SUNY Brockport field hockey team hits the road for its regular season finale on Wednesday, October 28th, taking on Nazareth at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles enter Wednesday's contest carrying an 11-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play following an impressive outing on home turf.
Last Outing Recap
The Golden Eagles put on an offensive showcase on Saturday afternoon during their Morgan's Message Mental Health Awareness Night and Green & Gold Rush Game, cruising to a 5-0 shutout victory over Houghton University at Dr. Linda Arena Field. The five-goal victory matched Brockport's largest margin of victory on the season and officially punched their ticket to the Empire 8 postseason.
After a tight, scoreless opening frame,
Elise Brady broke through at the 22:48 mark off a setup from
Emily Nestor to send Brockport into halftime leading 1-0. The Green and Gold blew the contest open in a relentless third-period push, striking three times in just over two minutes.
Penelope Schalck (32:47) and
Olivia McClaine (34:00) converted back-to-back unassisted goals before
Laela Osinski buried a feed from McClaine at 34:51 to extend the cushion to 4-0.
Sophia Jones added the finishing touch in the fourth quarter with an unassisted tally at 47:23. In cage, freshman goalkeeper
Julia Nieboer stopped all five shots faced to log a complete-game clean sheet as Brockport outshot the Highlanders 18-7.
Nieboer Named Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Freshman goalkeeper
Julia Nieboer earned her first career Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week honor on Monday, October 26th, following a stellar two-game stretch in cage that helped propel Brockport into tournament play.
The Fairport native turned away 14 of 16 shots faced across 120 minutes of action, registering an impressive .875 save percentage on the week. Nieboer opened her award-winning week with a 10-save performance under heavy pressure against Geneseo, before capping her week on Saturday with a 5-save complete-game shutout against Houghton. On the season, Nieboer anchors the Golden Eagles' backline with 55 total saves, an .846 save percentage, and a 1.51 goals-against average.
Scouting Nazareth
The Golden Flyers carry a 2-11 overall record and a 2-6 mark in Empire 8 action into Wednesday's finale, looking to rebound from a 3-1 setback against Russell Sage in their last outing. Brockport holds a 14-11 lead in the all-time series history against Nazareth and has taken five of the last seven meetings between the programs, though the Golden Flyers earned the win in their previous postseason clash during the first round of the 2025 Empire 8 Tournament.
Up Next: Following Wednesday's regular season finale, the Golden Eagles shift their focus to postseason play. The first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, October 31st, with seeding, opponent, and game time to be finalized following the conclusion of Wednesday's league slate.
