Utica, NY (10/21/14)- The Utica College field hockey team returns to action Wednesday as it travels to Rochester for a non-conference match up against nationally ranked No. 15 University of Rochester.  Game time is set for 6 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica is coming off a 5-2 win over Washington & Jefferson College in Empire 8 Conference action Saturday afternoon… Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) had a team-high two goals, while classmate Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) extended her goal-scoring streak to 11 games… Senior Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) netted her fourth goal in as many games and junior Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) also scored, and senior Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) posted one assist on the afternoon. 
 
WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers are 13-1 on the year, including a perfect 7-0 mark in the Empire 8 Conference…  Utica is in the "receiving votes" category of the NFHCA national rankings for the fifth consecutive week after collecting a season-high 109 points in the poll… UC is in the midst of a program-best 11-game winning streak, has outscored opponents 74-20 on the season, and holds a 6-0 mark at home... The Pioneers rank third in the nation in scoring average (5.29) and fifth in scoring margin (3.86)…  Utica's .929 winning percentage is also second nationally.
 
EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE STANDINGS: The Pioneers are currently first in the Empire 8 Conference standings (7-0)… They are one of two unbeaten teams in the E8 along with St. John Fisher College… Utica has already clinched a playoff birth and has the potential to host the conference tournament… St. John Fisher is 6-0 in conference play with two games remaining… The Cardinals and Pioneers will meet each other in Utica on Nov. 1 with Empire 8 Championship implications. 
 
LEADING THE WAY: Senior Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) continues to lead the conference in goals (29) and points (63)… The forward sits atop the NCAA with 2.07 goals and 4.50 points per game… She is the only player in the country in all divisions (I, II, or III) averaging over 2.0 goals per game…  Mackey is currently riding the highs of an 11-game scoring streak in which she has tallied 22 goals in that span. 
 
DISHING IT OUT: Senior Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) ranks tenth in the nation with .71 assists per game… She has ten assists on the season and set a new single-game record at UC with four assists against Hamilton on Oct. 1… Kieffer has also logged 967 minutes on the field and she has been a staple on the Utica defense this season. 
 
STEELE-NORTON STEPPING UP: Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) is second on the team with 11 goals and 27 assists… She is sixth in the conference in points per game (1.93) and seventh in goals per game (.786)… She has netted three goals in the last two games.
 
STOJKOVSKI ON A STREAK: Senior Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) has scored one goal in each of her last four games… She has nine goals on the season, including two game-winners, and is fourth on the team in scoring with 22 points.
 
JOURNEYWOMAN: Senior Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) leads the team with 974 minutes played.  She has played all but six minutes on the year and has started 34 of the last 35 games dating back to last season… Vitro has helped lead the Utica defense that has allowed just 1.43 goals per game and collected three shutouts. 
 
SHUTTING THE DOOR: The Pioneers lead the conference with a combined goals against average of 1.43… Freshman Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) has a conference-leading .813 save percentage in seven games played… She also has a 3-0 record… Junior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) is second in the conference with a 2.12 goals against average to go along with her 10-1 record.
 
SCOUTING U of R: The Yellow Jackets are currently ranked 15th in the latest NFHCA coaches poll, released Tuesday… They are 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty League Conference… U of R is coming off a 3-2 win over William Smith on Friday… Rochester has nine players who have tallied at least one goal on the season, led by junior Michelle Relin, who has 16 goals and 36 points on the year… Classmate Tara Lamberti boasts an impressive .855 save percentage and 1.21 goals against average.
 
AGAINST THE YELLOW JACKETS: Utica is 3-2 against Rochester in the last five years… The road team has won each of the last five meetings… Utica picked up wins at U of R in 2010 (2-1) and 2012 (2-1, OT)… Utica's most recent win against the Yellow Jackets came by way of a 2-1 overtime victory thanks to a pair of goals by Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) and six saves by net minder Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy)… Last year, U of R topped the Pioneers 3-0 at Gaetano Stadium. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Utica will host RPI in non-conference action on Saturday… Game time is set for 1 p.m.


                                                                                        --- www.ucpioneers.com ---