Utica, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team (4-5-2, 2-1 Empire 8) travels to Saratoga Springs to take on Skidmore College (6-4-1) Tuesday night in non-conference action. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
 
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LAST TIME AGAINST SKIDMORE: The last time both teams met, the Pioneers came out of Saratoga Springs with a 1-0 victory against the Thoroughbreds, three seasons ago (10/15/11) … Assistant coach Jeff Cupka, then a sophomore, netted the game-winning goal for Utica for the second straight game … All of Cupka's three goals at that point were game-winners … Cupka headed his way onto the scoreboard after receiving a cross pass from teammate Jonathon Peterson (Bedford, NH/New Hampton) in the 70th minute … Peterson's recorded his team-leading fifth assist on Cupka's goal … Sophomore goalie Anthony Caruso (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) recorded four saves and his ninth shutout in the victory.

ALL TIME SERIES: The Pioneers are 2-4-2 against Skidmore College since 2001 in … Utica looks to extend its winning streak against the Thoroughbreds to three games.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica lost to Stevens Institute of Technology in an Empire 8 Championship rematch 2-0 in Hoboken, NJ on Saturday … Both teams were 2-0 in the conference heading into the matchup … The Pioneers also lost to the Ducks 2-0 in the championship game of the conference tournament … Utica is 0-9 against Stevens since 2008, when Stevens joined the Empire 8 as a full-time member.
 
OWENS STEPPING UP: Sophomore midfielder Raine Owens (Pine Plains, NY/Stissing Mt. ) scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Elmira College (9/27/14) … Owens has seen action in eight games while starting in five … In the past three games Owens has put up four shots, with all of them on target, and has scored two goals.
 
DISHING IT OUT: Freshman midfielder Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia) leads the Empire 8 Conference in assists … With his assist against Elmira (9/27/14) he now has five on the season … Gazashvili's fifth assist came in the 20^th minute when Owens finished on a rebound … Gazashvili is second on the team in total shots (20) and third on team with seven points … He scored his lone goal against Purchase College (8/30/14).
 
IRON MAN: Sophomore defender Patrick Claffey (Burlington, CT/Lewis Mills) has now totaled 1034 minutes on the pitch … He only trails senior goalkeeper David Abdou (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) by eight minutes for the team lead … Claffey has started and played in all 11 games this season … Claffey played a crucial role in helping secure three shutouts against Sage College (8/29/14), Purchase College (8/30/14), and Oswego State (9/13/14).
 
STANDING TALL: Senior forward Shane Ruffing (Rochester, NY/Westborough) towers above his peers on the pitch (6-foot-6) and on the conference leaderboards … Ruffing leads the Empire 8 with eight goals and 18 total points.
 
CONFERENCE RANKINGS: Led by freshman Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia), Utica leads all teams in the conference in total assists … The Pioneers rank second in total points and save percentage … Utica also ranks third in multiple categories: goals against average, total goals and scoring offense.
 
SCOUTING THE THOROUGHBREDS: Skidmore is coming off a 2-1 victory at home against Williams College … The Thoroughbreds are now 2-1-1 at home and 4-2-0 on the road … Skidmore lost its only game in neutral territory this season … Senior forward Adam Beek, named to the Liberty League's weekly honor roll, scored both goals in Skidmore's victory over Williams on Saturday … Beek has tallied seven points in the last four games and leads the conference in goals (seven), assists (six) and points (20) … Junior goalkeeper Eli Kisselbach has nine starts for the Thoroughbreds this season, recording a record of 5-3-1, a save percentage of .764 and a goals against average of 1.41 along the way.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: After Tuesday's game the Pioneers will return to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium to play Ithaca College in an Empire 8 Conference tilt … The game is set to start at 4 p.m. on Saturday