UTICA, NY – The Utica College field hockey team returns home as it takes on Keuka College in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
Last Time Out: Utica dropped a close Empire 8 Conference matchup against Stevens on Saturday… The Ducks picked up two quick goals in the first half… Freshman
Jessica Belt (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder) got one back with her second goal of the year for the Pioneers in the 18
th minute as UC fell 2-1... Senior
Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) had the assist on Belt's goal, and classmate
Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) made five saves in net.
Freshmen Power: Utica freshmen have accounted for 29 of the 64 points scored this season…
Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) leads the team in points with 13 (six goals, one assist…
Jessica Belt (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder) has the second highest points for a freshman with five off of two goals and one assist…
Tiffany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) and
Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall) each have four points off of two goals, while
Brittany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) has three points on one goal and one assist.
Experience Helps: Senior
Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) and junior
Meghan McCormick (Ava, NY/RFA) are tied for second team with 10 points each…Dowling has two goals and six assists while McCormick has four goals and two assists… Senior
Tori Couture (Auburn, ME/Edward Little ) has four points off of one goal and two assists, and senior
Taylor Lukins (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport Central) has three points off of one goal and one assist.
In The Net: Senior
Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) has 101 saves and a save percentage of .759 in 13 games… Casey is third in the conference in saves and saves per game (7.77)… Sophomore
Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) has appeared in six games while starting in one… Whitehouse has 21 saves and a .840 save percentage… She is third in the E8 in save percentage and seventh in shutouts per game (.143).
Putting It On Goal: UC is second in the conference in shots on goal (151), and third in shots on goal per game (10.79)… Leading the charge are Dowling and McCormick who are both ranked eighth in the conference in shots (42) and shots per game (3.00).
Scouting Keuka College: The Wolfpack, who are in the midst of their first season in program history, are 2-10 overall with a 1-1 ECAC record… Keuka has lost its last five games and has yet to win a contest on the road this season… The Wolfpack are led by Ashley D'Amore (two goals), Alyssa Orsino (one goal, two assists), and goalie Elizabeth Sherman (210 saves and a .758 save percentage).
Familiar Face: Keuka Head Coach, Tarah Christenson was previously a coach at UC from 2004-08… While at Utica, she helped guide the Pioneers to a second-place finish in the ECAC Tournament (2004), an NCAA Tournament appearance (2005), and an Empire 8 title (2006).
Looking Ahead: UC will wrap up the home season as it hosts Ithaca College in an Empire 8 matchup on Saturday… It is the Pioneers' Senior Day as well as their breast cancer awareness game… The game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Broadcast Info: Select Utica College home games are broadcast over the air and online by Utica College's student radio station, WPNR 90.7 FM… Make sure to catch live video, audio and stats on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of all the action on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers … If you are at the games and on Twitter, or talking about the games 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.
