UTICA, NY - The Utica College field hockey team (7-3, 3-0 E8) defeated visiting Brockport State (2-10, 1-4 SUNYAC) 4-1 Wednesday night in a non conference contest on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Shannon Moats (Vernon, NY) added one goal and one assist as the Pioneers avenged last year's 3-1 loss at Brockport. The Pioneers are winners of five in a row while the Golden Eagles have now lost four straight.
UC is now 5-3 all-time against Brockport, outscoring the Golden Eagles 20-12, in eight meetings dating back to 2002.
Utica jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 9:50 mark of the first half when Sarah Keller (Elizabethtown, PA) rifled a shot from 12 yards out into the lower right corner for her second goal of the season. She was set up by Avion Candice Ashton (Trinidad), who is a former Trinidad junior national team member. The Pioneers outshot the Golden Eagles 12-0 in the first half, but they could only find the back of the cage once, as they took a 1-0 lead into the half.
UC distanced itself in the second half, starting with a goal from freshman forward Samantha Simmons (Stone Ridge, NY), the second of her career, off an assist from Moats. The goal developed from a penalty corner after senior Elizabeth Knudsen (Rome, NY) sent in the initial shot and it was redirected by Moats and eventually slapped home by Simmons.
UC added two insurance goals in the 51st and 55th minutes. Moats netted her team-high fourth goal of the season off an assist from Ashton, before junior forward Hayley Coon (Taberg, NY) added the Pioneers final goal of the contest, her second of the season, of an assist from Knudsen.
Brockport slipped one past UC sophomore goalie Monica Storms (Owego, NY) at the 66 minute marker when Meaghan Milbrand (Amherst, NY) connected with Taryn Rossi (Webster, NY) to cut the Pioneer lead to 4-1. The UC defense stood strong for the final nine minutes as the Pioneers earned the key non conference victory.
Utica outshot Brockport 22-2 on the day and they also earned a 13-2 penalty corner advantage.
Brockport goalies Kasey Schreiner (Hamberg, NY) and Jen Allen (North Tonawonda, NY) combined for 12 saves in the loss while Storms did not have to stop a shot in her seventh victory of the season.
The Pioneers hit the road for a two game stretch beginning on Saturday when they head to Hoboken, NJ for an Empire 8 Conference matchup against nationally-ranked No. 15 Stevens Institute of Technology. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Brockport remains on the road Saturday when they travel to SUNYAC Conference rival Geneseo for a contest at 1 p.m.
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