Utica, NY (11/8/13) - The Utica College field hockey team looks to defend its Empire 8 title as it travels to Hoboken, NJ for the conference tournament, hosted by No. 1 seed, Stevens Institute of Technology.  UC will take on Ithaca College in the semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday.  

LAST TIME OUT: Utica cruised to a 7-1 victory over SUNY Brockport on 'Senior Night' at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium… Juniors Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) and Adriana Surprenant (Utica, NY/New York Mills Jr-Sr High) each had two goals, while classmates Angela Charles (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), and Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) also scored… Kieffer, Eckert, Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport), and Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) also added assists for UC… Sophomore Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) had six saves in the win.

PROLIFIC OFFENSE: The Pioneers rank first in the Empire 8 and 23rd nationally with 3.78 goals per game… Juniors Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) and Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) finished second and third respectively in points per game in the Empire 8… The duo is also first and second in career scoring… Steele-Norton has 121 points in her three-year career, and Mackey has 112 points… Classmate Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) ranks 10th in the E8 with nine goals… UC beat its opponents by an average of 2.51 goals per game, which was good for 16th in the country in the regular season… Steele-Norton, Mackey, and Stojkovski have been clutch all season, combining for 11 game-winning goals.

SECONDARY SCORING: UC has four other players that recorded double-digit points during the regular season… Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) was fourth on the team with 16 points (5g, 6a)… Emily Gascon (Chenango Forks, NY/Greene) (4g, 4a) and Angela Charles (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) (4g, 4a) each had 12 points for the Pioneers… Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) chipped in with 10 points (3g, 4a).

STINGY 'D': Utica only allowed an average of 1.21 goals per game, which was tops in the Empire 8 and 21st nationally… The Pioneers' save percentage of .820 ranked 15th in the country… UC finished tied for 18th nationally with .39 shutouts per game… A big reason for the Pioneers' defensive success was the play of sophomore goalie Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy)… Casey leads the E8 in goals against average (1.539), save percentage (.828), and shutouts (six)… Defenders Marissa Davendonis (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central), Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central), and Meghan Morreale (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) have played exceptional in front of Casey all season.

SIMILAR SCENARIO: Almost the same scenario was lined up last year in the Empire 8 playoffs … Utica was the #2 seed but ended up hosting the tournament as top-seeded Stevens was unable to because of Hurricane Sandy… The Pioneers dismantled Fisher in the semi-final game to advance to the Empire 8 Championship… Stevens and Utica played an epic final game but it was the Pioneers taking their first E8 title and earning the automatic NCAA bid with a 4-3 victory.

PERFECT TIME TO PEEK: UC has won six of its last seven games… The only blemish was a 4-3 overtime loss to Oneonta… Three of the top four scorers (Mackey, Steele-Norton, Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport)) on the Pioneers have recorded a point in consecutive games… On the season, three of Utica's four losses have come in overtime. 

SCOUTING ITHACA: Ithaca College went 10-6 overall and 4-3 in Empire 8 conference play during the regular season… Six Bombers recorded double-digit points during the regular season… Danielle Coiro led the way with 25 points (10g, 5a) which was good for seventh in the Empire 8… Katie Kennedy scored nine goals for Ithaca including five game winners, which leads the conference… Katie Lass has recorded a 2.56 goals against average and a .809 save percentage in net for Ithaca.

HOW THEY MATCH UP: Utica ranks first in the Empire 8 in goals per game with 3.778, while Ithaca ranks third with 3.250 goals per game… Utica allows the least amount of goals per game in the conference at 1.22… Ithaca is third in that category allowing 1.88 goals per contest… UC's 2.56 margin of victory is much better than any other team in the Empire 8… Ithaca is second, winning by an average of 1.37 goals per game.

RECENT MEETINGS: The Pioneers defeated Ithaca College 4-0 in their lone meeting of the regular season…  Utica netted three second half goals on its way to the convincing victory… Steele-Norton led the way with two goals and an assist for UC… Mackey and Dowling also scored for Utica… Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) stopped three shots in her third shutout of the season… The Pioneers dominated the shot total, out-shooting Ithaca 23-4… UC is 3-0 against the Bombers in the last three seasons, outscoring Ithaca 12-1 during that span.

LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of the Ithaca-Utica game takes on the winner of the other semi-final that features No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology and fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College… The Empire 8 Championship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.


                                                            --- www.ucpioneers.com ---