Geneseo, NY - No. 5 Brockport fell to No. 1 Geneseo on Wednesday afternoon in the Empire 8 Men's Soccer Semifinals, 1-0. The Golden Eagles have been eliminated from the E8 Tournament, while Geneseo advances to the conference championship game on Saturday.
A first-half score from the top-seeded Knights would prove to be enough to decide the winner in this semifinal match. In the 19th minute of the contest, it was Aidan Lodie scoring the goal with an assist from Francesco Visone. Geneseo would hold onto this 1-0 lead for the remainder of the game.
The Golden Eagles threatened multiple times before halftime, including a pair of dangerous free kicks in the attacking zone. They would end up outshooting Geneseo, 9-6, and earned the advantage, 2-0, on corner kicks in the opening half but could not find the equalizer.
Ryan Mathis was active up top, firing off five shots with two on frame for Brockport.
Keegan Watson also placed a pair of shots on goal, but Geneseo's Max Crothall turned everything away. Crothall finished with five saves on the way to a clean sheet.
The second half featured just two more shots for Brockport and only one on goal despite the late-game efforts. Neither team would find the back of the net in the second half, allowing Geneseo to hold on for the 1-0 win.
AJ Nelson started and played the full 90 minutes between the pipes in net for the Golden Eagles. He would finish the day with three saves in the loss.
Brockport's quest for an Empire 8 Championship is cut off in 2026, as the loss in the semifinals brings the year to a close. The team finished the year 8-7-3 overall with a 6-3-2 mark in the conference to secure the Empire 8's No. 5 seed.
