UTICA, NY- Five different players scored as the Utica College field hockey team cruised to an 8-0 victory over visiting Keuka College in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon.
The Pioneers have now won three of their last four and look to ride that momentum into a huge Empire 8 Conference contest against Ithaca College on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
Senior
Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) got things going just 1:18 into the contest on a great individual effort as she netted her third goal of the season, unassisted. Dowling ran down the right side and fired a low shot that was stopped by the Keuka keeper, the rebound however, popped right back to Dowling who buried the second chance to give Utica the 1-0 lead.
The score remained the same over the next 23 minutes until junior
Meghan McCormick (Ava, NY/RFA) converted on a penalty stroke to give Utica the two-goal cushion. McCormick found the back of the net again just 1:26 later as she rifled home a pass from Dowling off a corner for her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Pioneers were not done yet as junior
Rachael Scaramuzzino (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) netted a pair of goals, the first and second of her career, just two and a half minutes apart to give UC a 5-0 lead at the half. Dowling and
Brittany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) assisted on Scaramuzzino's tallies.
Sophomore
Maria Orsino (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) found a wide open
Jessica Belt (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder) in front of the Keuka goal for Utica's sixth tally of the day at 47:26. Then, sophomore
Madison Williams (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) scored her first career goal as she put in a rebound from classmate
Gianna Cavalier (Northport, NY/Commack ) and the Pioneers took a 7-0 lead. Belt and Orsino connected again in the 68th minute to cap off the scoring.
Senior
Caitlyn Strapach (Union Springs, NY/Union Springs) had a quiet day, but stood strong when called upon. She finished with two saves for her first career shutout. Keuka's Elizabeth Sherman racked up 21 saves in net for the Wolfpack.