E8 Field Hockey Tournament Webpage

Utica, NY (11/4/2012) – The Utica College field hockey team is set to host top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship game on Sunday at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.  The contest is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Utica, the second seed in the tournament, is hosting for the second consecutive year and it is also making its first appearance in the conference tournament finals, despite winning two regular season titles. 

Follow the Game Live:  Fans at home have several options for following Saturday's championship if you are unable to make it out to Gaetano Stadium … Fans can follow live video at www.empire8.tv or live stats right here at www.ucpioneers.com … Make sure to follow the Empire 8 Conference @Empire8 on Twitter and use the Tweet #E8for the latest score updates … Also make sure to “Like” the Empire 8 Conference on Facebook … Fans can also follow Utica Athletics @UCPioneers on Twitter or “Like” the Utica College Pioneers official Facebook page. 

Tickets: Tickets at the gates will be $4 for an individual and $2 for students … The concession stand will be open throughout the contest in the Connie Gaetano Plaza at the stadium.

All-Time Series: Utica has won two of the last three meetings between these two programs … The Pioneers have dealt Stevens their only two regular season losses in conference play in the last five years … Stevens leads the all-time series 5-2, including a 3-2 win over the Pioneers earlier this year … Five of the seven meetings between Stevens and Utica have been decided by one goal … Stevens beat Utica four straight times from 2006-2009 … This is the first time the two teams have met in post-season play.

Hurricane Sandy:  The Pioneers were given hosting rights after Hurricane Sandy made a significant impact in Hoboken, NJ where Stevens' campus is located … Utica is also hosting Sunday's Empire 8 Conference Men's Soccer Championship between No. 1 Stevens and No.3 Ithaca at 11:30 a.m. (Live Stats / Live Video)

Utica So Far: The Pioneers (13-5) have won six of their last seven games, including a 3-1 victory over No. 3 St. John Fisher College in Saturday's E8 semi-final … Sophomore Louise Steel-Norton is making a strong case for the conference's player of the year award … She currently leads the league with 23 goals, which is nine goals more than any other player in the conference … Her 47 points is a single-season record for the College … She needs just one more goal to tie the Empire 8 Conference record for goals in a  single season set by Hartwick's Kelly Cooman back in 2004 … Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) leads the Empire 8 with 14 assists, while UC's Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) ranks second on the team and is tied for fifth in the conference with 12 goals … The Pioneer defense boasts the top goals against average in the league (1.68)

Scouting Stevens:  The Ducks (13-6) went a perfect 7-0 in conference play during the regular season and they proved why they earned the top seed by rolling through W & J 5-1 in Saturday's semi-final match up … Marguerite Chavez ranks second in the conference with 14 goals this season … Mary Nikish also ranks second in the conference with 13 assists in 19 games played … Stevens is tied with W & J for the league lead with 59 goals this year … The Stevens' netminders have really come to play in conference contests, totaling an E8 best 1.57 goals against average through seven contests. 

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