Utica, NY (9/26/14)- The Utica College field hockey team returns to action Saturday as it travels to Houghton, NY for an Empire 8 Conference match up against the Houghton Highlanders.  Game time has been moved to 5 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers are coming off a thrilling 4-1 upset victory over then-ranked No. 3 Skidmore College on Sunday… Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) had a goal and two assists, while Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central), Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central), and Melissa Koch (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) each had one goal… Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) made ten saves in net… Utica outscored opponents 16-1 last week and had a shutout streak that lasted 170 minutes. 
 
NATIONAL ATTENTION: Utica (6-1, 2-0 Empire 8) is in the receiving votes category in the latest NFHCA national poll… The Pioneers picked up 68 votes, tying them with Massachusetts Institute of Technology...  Two of Utica's opponents this season are ranked in the top-20 including No. 7 Skidmore and No. 20 University of Rochester… As a team, the Pioneers rank seventh nationally with 5.0 goals per game.
 
UC SWEEPS EMPIRE 8 WEEKLY AWARDS: Seniors Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) and Nikki Kieffer (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) were named the Empire 8 Offensive and Defense Players of the Week, respectively… Mackey led Utica with five goals and one assist as the Pioneers went 3-0 last week… She leads the conference in goals (13), points (28), and game winning goals (four)… She also ranks fourth nationally with 1.86 goals per game… Kieffer anchored the Utica defense that allowed just one goal in three games last week…  The Pioneers gave up just 16 shots on goal in the three games and had a shutout streak that lasted 170 minutes… Her stellar play helped lift Utica to a 4-1 upset victory over #3 Skidmore on Sunday... Kieffer also aided Utica as five Pioneer goals in the last three games were the direct result of her inserts off penalty corners.
 
CASEY CONTINUES STRONG PLAY: Senior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) is currently third in the Empire 8 with a 2.01 goals against average and she is 5-1 on the season with one shutout… She needs just one more win to tie the program record of 33 career wins. 
 
HELPING OUT: Seniors Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) and Chasity Eckert (Afton, NY/Afton Central) are tied for second on the team with 13 points… Steele-Norton is second on the squad with six goals and opened the season on a six-game scoring streak… She is the program's all-time leader with 65 goals and she is currently second all-time with 138 career points… Eckert has a team-best five assists and aided the offense with seven points in three games last week. 
 
SCOUTING HOUGHTON: The Highlanders are 2-7 overall and 0-3 in the Empire 8… Houghton has been held scoreless in its last three games, and is coming off a 2-0 loss to Ithaca College on Wednesday… Junior Kristin McKane leads the team with five goals and 10 points on the year… The Pioneers are 2-0 all-time against Houghton… Last year, UC ran away with a 5-0 victory… Becki Vivacqua (Yorkville, NY/New York Mills Jr-Sr High) (two), Alaina Stojkovski (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport), and Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) all scored for Utica.
 
LOOKING AHEAD:  The Pioneers return home on Wednesday as they host cross-town rival, Hamilton College… Game time is set for 6 p.m.


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