HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Rachel Buyan's (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) penalty stroke goal in the 39th minute held up as Washington & Jefferson defeated Stevens, 1-0, to close Empire 8 play 7-0 for the first time in program history.

The Presidents entered play having already locked up the regular season crown and hosting rights for next weekend's Empire 8 Tournament for the first time since 2007. The victory marks the first time that W&J has run the conference slate undefeated and improves W&J to 11-4 this year and 7-0 in league action. Stevens drops to 6-11 overall and 2-5 in the E8.

Buyan's stroke came just 3:41 into second half following a penalty corner by the Presidents and a shot by Buyan and was the junior's ninth goal of the year.

After blanking the Ducks in the first half on shots and holding an 8-0 lead through 35 minutes, the two teams were equal at 7-7 in the second half. Buyan match Stevens' shot total with seven of her own, including six on goal, while Alana Boyd (Alexandria, Va./Edison) recorded five shots, four of which found the cage.

Karlie Baran (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) picked her up seventh shutout of the season and the 15th of her career. The 11th victory of the season for the senior was also the 30th of her career.

The 2017 Empire 8 Field Hockey Championship will take place on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 3-4 at W&J's Cameron Stadium. The Presidents will open up play on Friday at 12 p.m. against fourth-seeded Houghton. The second semifinal between No. 2 St. John Fisher and No. 3 Utica will follow at 2:30 p.m., and the championship match is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.