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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Familiar Empire 8 rivals Nazareth and Ithaca will meet again Sunday for the conference title in women's soccer. That was assured Saturday afternoon as the Golden Flyers defeated Stevens in the second E8 semifinal game, 3-1.

The second-seeded Golden Flyers improved to 11-6-2 overall, while Stevens dropped to 10-9. Top-seeded and seventh-ranked Ithaca improved to 15-2 overall with a 6-2 win over St. John Fisher in the other semifinal Saturday. Sunday's title match will be played at Ithaca's Carp Wood Field at 12 p.m. It will mark the 11th time that Ithaca and Nazareth will meet in Empire 8 Tournament play. The teams played to a scoreless tie in last year's title game, then Ithaca advanced to the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks.

In Saturday's game vs. Stevens, Nazareth got goals from sophomore Briana Vibbard, junior Kaitlyn Sowyrda and senior Olivia Derleth to defeat the Ducks for the second time this season. Nazareth carried the play for most of the first half, but the game remained scoreless until the 39th minute when senior Sarah Cipperly cleared the ball from Nazareth's defensive zone and passed ahead to freshman Elisa Marchione. Marchione dribbled a few yards before threading a pass to the left wing, where Vibbard slipped a shot underneath Stevens keeper Evelyn Ting for the first goal.

Stevens tied the score in the 62nd minute when Derleth tried to clear away a shot by Stevens' Raba Nassif. The wind-blown clearing attempt went high in the air and backward and over the fingertips of Nazareth keeper Bethany Novak.

Nazareth responded with the go-ahead goal less than a minute later as Sowyrda scored her second goal of the season with a shot from the left side after receiving a pass from junior Elizabeth Howell.

The Golden Flyers scored again exactly eight minutes later as Derleth netted her team-leading ninth goal of the season as she dribbled up the right wing after receving a pass from Vibbard and ripped a shot over the hands of Ting.

Stevens had some chances in the closing minutes, including a point-blank opportunity by Mariah Cleveland that was pushed over the crossbar by Novak with less than three minutes to go. Nazareth had a 21-13 shot advantage and finished with seven corner kicks to Stevens' three. Novak was credited with five saves. Ting had nine for the Ducks.

Nazareth and Ithaca have either won or shared the E8 title 12 times in the past 14 seasons. Five of those title matches came down to penalty kicks with Ithaca advancing four times. Nazareth has appeared in every E8 title game -- 12 all told.