ITHACA, N.Y. -- The #8/9 Ithaca College women's soccer team (16-1-1) will vie for its eighth Empire 8 title as it hosts the Empire 8 Championship Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4 at Carp Wood Field. On Saturday, the top-seeded Bombers will face fourth-seeded St. John Fisher (8-6-4) in a semifinal match at 11 a.m., while second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology (10-6-1) will take on third-seeded Nazareth (9-5-4) at 1:30 p.m. The championship will be held on Sunday at noon.

Live stats and live VIC radio broadcasts will be available for all three games. For additional information, please view the Empire 8 Women's Soccer Championship Tournament program (.pdf).

The Bombers own a 17-3-1 record over the Cardinals in a series dating back to 1981. Ithaca, who won 17 consecutive contests from 1984-2011, is 10-1-0 on its home turf against St. John Fisher. The two teams played to a 0-0 stalemate earlier this season in Pittsford, N.Y.

Ithaca enters the tournament ranked in top 10 in the nation in four categories: fourth with a .917 save percentage, sixth with a .326 goals-against average, seventh with a .722 shutout percentage and eighth with a .917 win-loss-tie percentage. Outscoring opponents 50-6, the Bombers lead the conference with 50 goals scored, six goals allowed, a .330 goals-against average and 108 corner kicks. Senior Rachael Palladino leads the Bombers with 26 points on 12 goals and a pair of assists. Junior Ellyn Grant-Keane and senior Julie Winn chip in 19 and 17 points, respectively. They share a conference- and team-best nine assists, while Grant-Keane has five goals and Winn four. Senior Becca Salant ranks seventh in the nation with a .906 save percentage and ninth with a 0.37 goals-against average. She has made 58 saves this season.