Elmira, N.Y. – The No. 20 men's soccer team (10-3-3, 5-0-2) won 3-0 over Elmira (5-12-0, 1-6-0) to clinch the top seed in the Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship. The Bombers were the only unbeaten team in the conference. Ithaca will host an Empire 8 semifinal game Friday.

In the sixth minute, senior forward John Tarson (Philips Academy/Acton, Mass.) fed sophomore midfielder Jeff Geyer (Rham/Hebron, Conn.) off of a free kick. Geyer scored his fifth goal of the season to give the Bombers the early advantage.

In the 15th minute, senior forward Kurt Odenbach (McQuaid Jesuit/Webster) picked up his first assist of the year when he crossed the ball to senior midfielder Jason Kaufman (Amherst/Leverett, Mass.) who scored on a header. Geyer and Kaufman tied Odenbach for the team lead in goals with five.

Odenbach ranks seventh all-time for the Bombers in goals (27) and tied for ninth in points (60).

The third goal of the game occurred in the 30th minute when Elmira committed an own goal. The Bombers outshot Elmira 10-3 in the first half and 19-5 in the game. Senior goalkeeper Andy Wilhelm (Centennial/Ellicott City, Md.) saved one shot to preserve his sixth shutout of the season, and 21st of his career.

The top-seeded Bombers will host either Utica or St. John Fisher on Friday in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship.

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