| 10/23/2002 6:31:10 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. - The Rochester Institute of Technology men's soccer team battled to a 0-0 double-overtime tie at Nazareth College, in what decided the Empire 8 regular season crown and the host of the Empire 8 postseason tournament.

The tie gave Ithaca College the regular season title with a 5-0-1 record and they will host the Empire 8 tournament Nov. 2-3 with the top four league finishers advancing. RIT finished second in the league at 4-0-2 and Nazareth finishes third at 4-1-1. The fourth-place spot is being battled out by St. John Fisher at 1-3-1, Elmira at 1-3-0 and Alfred at 1-4-0.

Despite no scoring, the game was an entertaining one to watch with both teams getting quality chances throughout the game and both goalies coming up with huge saves.

RIT had two strong chances thwarted by Naz goalie Steve Hogan in the 59th minute on shots by Trae Lower (Gettysburg, Pa./Biglerville) and Blake Harrison (Vineland, N.J./Vineland). Then two minutes later RIT goalkeeper Brian Lenzo (Greece, N.Y./Greece Athena) came up huge with a save on Jefferson Dargout's (Franklin/Rochester, N.Y. ) point-blank shot.

The Tigers looked as though they had the game-winning goal on a corner kick with 4:40 remaning in regulation. The corner set up Rick Anthony's (Baldwinsville, N.Y/C.W. Baker) header which Logan got a piece of an it deflected off the cross bar and over the net. RIT had three corner kicks over the next minute and a half, but couldn't convert any of the chances into goals.

With 28 seconds remaining in regulation Dargout had another strong chance turned away by Lenzo.

Both teams had solid chances in the extra frames, but RIT had the best chances with a 3-1 shots on goal advantage and 3-0 in corner kicks during the overtime.

RIT resumes action travelling to SUNY Fredonia on Saturday at 1 p.m. before the Empire 8 tournament Nov. 2-3.