Utica, NY - The 2014 Empire 8 Champion Utica College field hockey team will host Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.  Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
TICKET INFO: Tickets for the game will be $5 for adults and $3 for children, seniors, and students with valid ID. 

PIONEERS ALL-ACCESS: If you can't make it out to Utica to watch the 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.

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 ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.
 
NCAA HISTORY: This is Utica's third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the fourth trip to NCAAs in program history… It marks the third consecutive year the Pioneers will host a first round game… UC has made it to the "Sweet Sixteen" in each of the last two seasons.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers escaped with a 3-2 victory over Stevens in the Empire 8 semifinal on Saturday before cruising to a 3-0 win over Fisher to capture their third consecutive Empire 8 title… UC becomes just the second team in Empire 8 field hockey history to secure back-to-back-to-back Championships, matching Stevens' mark from 2008-2010… Senior Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) had two goals and two assists on the weekend, while classmate Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) had two goals, and freshman Melissa Koch (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) had a goal and an assist… Senior Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) had the game-winner in the championship and Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) chipped in with one assist… Junior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) stopped 13-of-15 shots she faced in the tournament and picked up a shutout in the title game… Senior Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) was named tournament MVP after her stellar play in the defensive end.
 
SEASON RECAP: The Pioneers (18-2) set a new program record for wins in a season, eclipsing last year's mark of 17… Utica has outscored opponents 89-27 on the season and UC is sixth nationally with 4.45 goals per game… The Pioneers are ranked No. 17 in the latest NFHCA national poll, just one vote behind No. 16 University of Mary Washington.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Utica is an impressive 10-0 and has outscored opponents 45-9 at Gaetano stadium this season… UC also has four shutouts at home this year… The Pioneers are 16-1 on their home turf dating back to Sept. 14 last season.
 
MACKEY MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF: Empire 8 Player of the Year, Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) is first in the nation with 1.80 goals per game… She is also second nationally with 3.95 points per game and set new conference single season records for goals (36) and points (79) this year.
 
SUPER SENIORS: Utica is led by its 11-member senior class… Apart from Mackey, classmate Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) has tallied 14 goals and 33 points on the season… Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) and Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) are tied for third on the team with 28 points… Eckert is having a banner year with 10 goals and 8 assists, while Stojkovski has netted a career-high 12 goals, including the game-winner in the Empire 8 semifinal.
 
STINGY D: The Pioneers have allowed just 1.35 goals against per game this season… The D core is led by senior Amanda Vitro (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central), who has played in all but six minutes this season, and classmate Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), who ranks 21st in the country with .59 assists per game…  Junior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) leads the Empire 8 with a 1.95 goals against average, while freshman Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) is second in the conference in save percentage (.811).
 
SCOUTING FDU-FLORHAM: Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham travels to Utica from Madison, NJ… The Devils are 14-7 overall and they are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986… They captured the Freedom Conference Championship after defeating Misericordia University 2-1… FDU-Florham features Freedom Conference Player of the Year, Niki Ikeda, who registered ten goals and seven assists this year… This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of Wednesday's match up will advance to the NCAA regional this weekend at Bowdoin College to face Skidmore in the "Sweet Sixteen."
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