Utica, NY – The Utica College field hockey team will travel to Brockport, NY Wednesday for a non-conference matchup against The College at Brockport (3-9). The game is set to start at 4 p.m.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: If you can't make it out to the game make sure to follow live updates on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Or follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
 
THE PIONEERS: Utica is 9-1 on the season, including a marquee win over then third-ranked Skidmore College … UC is currently riding the highs of a seven game winning streak … The Pioneers are in the middle of a three-game road stretch, which concludes Saturday in Ithaca … In E8 play this year UC is 4-0, has outscored opponents 26-3, and recorded two shutouts … On September 30, the Pioneers earned 67 votes in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Poll, which is second behind William Smith College in the receiving votes category … The poll ranks the top 20 teams in the country.
 
EMPIRE 8 LEADERS: Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central), Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) and Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) are all in the Empire 8 Conference's top 10 rankings in scoring … Mackey leads the Empire 8 with 47 points (21 goals, five assists), followed by Eckert (eight goals, six assists) with 22 points and Steele-Norton (eight goals, four assists) with 20 points … Mackey has four hat tricks on the season and is averaging 4.78 points per game … Eckert is tied for third in the conference with six assists … Both Eckert and Steele-Norton are tied for fifth in the conference with eight goals apiece ... Mackey leads the conference with five game-winning goals this season … Junior goalie Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) is second in the conference in goals against average.
 
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: UC's Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central), a three-time Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week selection, leads the nation with 2.10 goals per game … She also ranks second nationally in points per game … As a team the Pioneers rank fifth nationally in goals per game ... They also rank fifth nationally in scoring margin, defeating opponents by an average of 4.20 goals per game … Utica is also seventh in the nation in assists per game.
 
THE MACKEY EFFECT: The Pioneers have won every game in which Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) scored at least one goal … Mackey did not score a goal in Utica's only loss of the season to New Paltz (9/6/14) … Mackey has six games where she netted multiple goals, including four-goal performances against Wooster (8/31/14) and Empire 8 rival Houghton (9/27/14) … Mackey needs six goals to tie the school record for goals in a single season, held by teammate Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) (27 in 2012).
 
TOUGH DEFENSE: Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) has been playing lights out this year for the Pioneers … Casey has played and started in all 10 games and has only let in 12 goals … She has helped the Pioneers to a 9-1 record, including three shutouts … Casey has 34 saves and is averaging 1.47 goals against per game ... Casey recently set a new program-record for wins in a career (35).
 
TIME EATERS: Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) and Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) are first and second on the team in minutes played … Vitro and Kieffer have started and played in all 10 games this season and have logged in 694 and 687 minutes, respectively … Playing on defense, Vitro and Kieffer have helped the Pioneers to three shutout victories ... As a team, UC has only let in 14 goals … Kieffer has scored two goals and racked up six assists, including a school-record four assists against Hamilton on Wednesday and a goal in the last game against Nazareth on Saturday.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica extended its winning streak to seven games after defeating Nazareth College 5-1 in Rochester, NY Saturday ... Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) led the way with two goals … Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central), Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Becki Vivacqua (Yorkville, NY/New York Mills Jr-Sr High) each netted a goal in the contest … Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) assisted on Mackey's second goal of the game … Goalie Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) picked up a save and the 35^th victory of her career.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Brockport is 3-9 heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Pioneers … The Golden Eagles have lost four of their last five games, including Saturday's loss against Oneonta, 4-2 … Lindsay Farrell stands between the pipes for Brockport with a save percentage of 0.825 and a 2.10 goals against average in 11 games this season … On offense, Brockport is led by Abby Eschen's 10 points (four goals, two assists) and Margo Tremaine's seven points (three goals, one assist) … Four Golden Eagles have two assists each to share the team lead.  
 
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: A Utica victory over Brockport would be the first win by a road team since 2005 in this particular series … The home team has won each of the last eight games between UC and Brockport … Utica won the last two head-to-head matchups in 2013 and 2011 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium … Brockport last beat Utica 1-0 at home in 2010 … Utica is 7-5 all-time against Brockport … The two teams did not play each other in 2012.
 
THE NEXT TIME OUT: Utica will carry their sticks to Ithaca, NY on Saturday to face the Bombers in Empire 8 Conference action. The game is set to start at noon.