Box Score Utica 5, Ithaca 1 Box Score

UTICA, NY (10/22/2011)- The Utica College field hockey team honored its seniors Saturday with a 5-1 victory over conference foe Ithaca College at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.  Freshman Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) recorded her first career hat-trick as she led UC to its fifth conference.  If the Pioneers defeat St. John Fisher College on the road next Friday they will clinch their first-ever conference regular season title and earn the right to host the conference tournament for the first time in program-history.

It truly was a sweet win for the seniors, as this group had never beaten Ithaca prior to Saturday's showdown.

Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) opened the scoring less than eight minutes into the game as she ran the ball into the arc and struck a shot past Ithaca backstop Kelly Singleton for her third goal of the season.

With just over three minutes to play in the half, freshman Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) netted her tenth goal of the season at 31:53, as she snuck a ball in the left post from eight yards away to give UC a 2-0 advantage.
The second half was all Utica, as Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) netted her team-best 13th goal of the year when she ripped a shot past Singleton at 40:34. Just four minutes later, Mackey put the Pioneers up 4-0 on a play similar to her first goal, netting a tally from nine yards out.

Mackey capped off the UC scoring on a set play off of a corner.  Senior Jessica Ahearn (Bangor, PA/Bangor) passed the ball in to Ally Sanders (Endicott, NY/Maine Endwell), who controlled it and fed the ball to Mackey. Mackey then stroked the ball into the back of the cage and completed the hat trick to give UC a commanding 5-0 lead. 

With just under one minute to play in the game, senior Bomber Jessica Dillon found the back of the cage, at 69:15, to end senior Monica Storms (Owego, NY/Owego)' hopes for her second shutout of the season.

With the win, UC improves to 10-6 on the season and remains in first in the Empire 8 Conference with a 5-1 league record.  Ithaca dropped to 4-10 overall and 2-4 in the Empire 8.

UC is back in action Wednesday as it hosts SUNY Oneonta in the last home game of the regular season for the Pioneers.  Oneonta is currently 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the SUNYAC.  Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
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