HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 2, 2007) – Sophomore forward Todd Sheridan notched an assist and the eventual game-winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the opening half on Friday afternoon at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J., as top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology defeated fourth-seeded Nazareth College by a count of 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2007 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship. With the win, the Ducks moved to a mark of 16-1-2 on the season and will look to capture its sixth consecutive league championship and their first in the Empire 8. As for the Golden Flyers, their season ends with a record of 8-8-2.

Stevens, which held a 21-4 shot advantage in the match, reached the scoreboard first in the 37th-minute when senior forward Mike Kaiser drove a ball into a wide-open net off a cross-pass from Sheridan. Senior defender Sean Bliss was also credited with an assist. On the play, Nazareth sophomore goalkeeper Trey Barresi (Lansing, N.Y.) dove to try and snatch the ball during the pass from Sheridan to Kaiser but failed to do so. Nine minutes later, Sheridan gave the hosts a 2-0 lead when he scored off a rebound shot by freshman midfielder Bryan De Faria.

In the second half, the Golden Flyers cut the deficit to one when senior forward Paul Pacitto (Ontario, N.Y.) went one-on-one with the Ducks' freshman goalkeeper Zach Carr. Pacitto ripped a ball into the right-corner of the net to put Nazareth on the board for the first time in the contest. However, the Golden Flyers were unable to get by the Stevens defense, which did not allow a goal in the final 23 minutes of the game.

Carr made no saves on the day while Barresi turned aside a game-high six shots. The Ducks also held an 11-1 edge in corner kicks.

Head Coach Tim O'Donohue and his squad return to action this Sunday when they host the winner of the other semifinal match-up between second-seeded Utica College and third-seeded St. John Fisher College in the title game of the Empire 8 Tournament. Kick-off is scheduled to get underway at noon and all of the action can be seen at www.Empire8.tv. You can also follow along via live stats. Ticket prices for the match are $1 for Stevens students, faculty and staff with proper identification and $3 for general admission.