Utica, NY (10/10/14)- The Utica College field hockey team returns to Empire 8 Conference play this weekend as it travels to Ithaca College on Saturday before returning home to face E8 foe Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday.  Saturday's game will be at 12 p.m. while Sunday's contest will start at 1 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
 
PIONEERS ALL-ACCESS: If you can't make it out to Utica to watch Sunday's game in person, Pioneers All-Access is the place to be on game day, providing live video, audio (WPNR 90.7 FM) and stats for all UC home games on the turf … Pioneers All-Access is a completely FREE service provided for those members of the Pioneer nation that might not be able to make it out to the game … Recent stories and social media are fully integrated into the Pioneers All-Access site for the most comprehensive viewing experience …  Make sure to check out Pioneers All-Access at www.ucpioneers.com/watch.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers cruised to a 6-1 victory over Brockport on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to eight games… Senior Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) netted a game-high four goals, while Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) and Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) each had one goal… Senior Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) had two assists and junior Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) and senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) chipped in with one assist each.
 
WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers (10-1, 4-0 Empire 8) are currently riding the highs of an eight-game winning streak… Utica has been in the "receiving votes" category in the last three NFHCA national polls… As a team the Pioneers rank fifth nationally in goals per game (5.60)... They also rank fifth nationally in scoring margin, defeating opponents by an average of 4.20 goals per game … In conference games, UC has outscored opponents 26-3 this season.
 
MACKEY ON FIRE: Senior Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) is currently on an eight game goal-scoring streak… At the start of the week, she was leading the nation with 2.10 goals per game, and is one of only two players in Division I, II, or III averaging over 2.0 goals per game…  She also ranks second nationally with 4.20 points per contest… She is just two goals shy of tying the Conference's single-season goal scoring record of 27, which teammate Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) set in 2012 en route to being named the Empire 8 Player of the Year… Mackey has a career-high 55 points this season and needs just one more to tie the school-record of 56, also held by Steele-Norton.
 
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Like Mackey, senior Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) is in the midst of her best season as a Pioneer… This year, she has eclipsed her scoring from the previous two seasons, combined… Entering her senior campaign, Eckert had six goals and three assists for 15 career points… This year she has already collected nine goals and six assists and she is currently second on the team with 24 points. 
 
STEELE-NORTON CONTINUING STRONG PLAY: Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) is third on the team and seventh in the conference with 1.91 points per game… Steele-Norton's eight goals and 21 points are also good enough for third on the team… In her career, she has compiled 68 goals and 149 points, which rank second at UC. 
 
STRONG D: Seniors Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) and Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) have anchored the Utica defense that has allowed just 1.36 goals per game this season… Vitro has played 764 minutes (out of a possible 770) this season, while Kieffer has logged 757 minutes of action… Kieffer has also tallied a career-high two goals and eight assists so far… Junior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy), who recently broke the College's career win record, has compiled a 9-1 record this season while allowing 1.45 goals per game to go along with her .729 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING ITHACA: The Bombers are 5-5 overall (3-1 Empire 8) and are coming off a 2-1 win over Elmira last Saturday… Ithaca is led by sophomore Colleen Keegan-Twombly who has five goals and 12 points on the year…  Sophomore Katie Lass leads the conference with a .819 save percentage and five shutouts… Utica is 4-0 against Ithaca in the last three seasons, outscoring the Bombers 13-1 in that span.
 
SCOUTING STEVENS: The Ducks, who have won the Empire 8 Conference regular season title the last two seasons, are currently 5-8 (2-2 Empire 8) and they are coming off a 4-2 loss to New Paltz on Wednesday… Junior Dailyn Brook and freshman Victoria Alvarez each have 29 points on the season… Brook has a team-best 11 assists, while Alvarez leads the squad with 12 goals… Stevens holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series, however the Pioneers have won three of their last five meetings against the Ducks… Last year, Utica suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat in Hoboken… Angela Charles (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) had two goals for Utica, while Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) chipped in with one goal and one assist. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers will have almost a full week off before traveling to Washington, PA next Saturday for a conference match up against Washington & Jefferson College… Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.


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