BOXSCORE | CUMULATIVE STATS
UTICA, N.Y. -- Junior Kelly Finn (Homer HS/Cortland, NY) scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season in the first half Saturday as visiting Nazareth defeated Utica, 1-0, in the Golden Flyers final regular-season game for women's soccer.

The victory, at Utica's Charles Gaetano Stadium, clinched the third seed for Nazareth in this week's Empire 8 Conference Tournament. The Golden Flyers, 6-2 in the Empire 8 and 11-5-1 overall, travel to Hoboken, N.J. Wednesday to play at second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology (6-1 E8, 11-4-1 overall) in an E8 Tournament semifinal match at 2 p.m. Fourth-seeded Utica (4-3-1 E8, 7-7-1 overall) visits top-seeded Ithaca (8-0 E8, 14-2) Wednesday. The winners meet Saturday for the E8 title and the NCAA Tournament berth.

Nazareth had a 12-6 advantage in shots and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks, but the Golden Flyers couldn't score until Finn settled a corner kick from Julie Birbilis (Ballston Spa HS/Ballston Spa, NY) in the 31st minute and one-touched a shot past Utica goalkeeper Ashley Kaufman, who finished with eight saves.

Freshman goalie Hillary Simon (Homer HS/Homer, NY) made three saves to pick up her fifth shutout of the season.

As this week's E8 Tournament unfolds, Nazareth will be shooting for its eighth straight conference title and its eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 11 years. Nazareth lost 1-0 at Stevens in a regular-season game Oct. 13.