Utica, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team is set to open up its 2015 campaign on Tuesday night at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium  (7 p.m.) as the Pioneers host Hobart College.  The Pioneers kick off the season in search of securing their fourth Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance in the last six years.

EXPERIENCE IS KEY: The Pioneers lost just three seniors to graduation last season and return 20 student-athletes with playing experience to the roster … The 20 returners include four seniors, seven juniors and nine sophomores … 14 of the returners started at least two games last season … Eight of the returners started at least 13 games in 2015.

CAPTAINS: Senior classmates Shane Ruffing (Rochester, NY/Westborough), Justin Schray (Oxford, NY/Oxford) and Jordan Senay (Lockport, NY/Lockport) have been named captains for the 2015 season … This experienced group has combined to play in 116 career games for the Pioneers. 

TAKING A LOOK BACK: The Pioneers earned the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament last Fall … UC secured the conference tournament bid by defeating Alfred 4-1 in the final game of the regular season … The Pioneers lost in the semifinals of the E8 tournament to No. 2 Ithaca by the score of 1-0 … They finished the year with a 7-9-3 overall record and a 4-3 mark in conference play. 

SCHEDULE OUTLOOK: UC's schedule features 18 contests, with nine games being played at home and nine on the road … Eight of Utica's games will be played at night (5 p.m. or later) … The Pioneers will play seven Empire 8 Conference contests and 11 non-conference games … UC opens up with Hobart at home on Tuesday night before hitting the road to partake in the Gull Invitational Friday and Saturday against Gordon College and Endicott College, respectively … UC will then play four non-conference opponents in a span of eight days before opening up Empire 8 Conference play on the road at Ithaca College on September 19^th … Utica will then close out a three game road trip at nearby Hamilton College on September 23^rd before returning home for three straight games, beginning with Nazareth College on September 26^th … Elmira College will come to town for homecoming weekend on October 3^rd … Four of the Pioneers final six games will be against Empire 8 opponents, beginning with a key matchup at St. John Fisher College on October 10^th … UC's final regular season home game is against conference power Stevens on October 23^rd, before the Pioneers close out the regular season on the road at Houghton College on October 31^st. 

RUFFING IS BACK: Senior forward Shane Ruffing (Rochester, NY/Westborough) returns to the pitch this Fall looking to continue his climb up the College's all-time record books … Ruffing wrapped up his junior season ranked first in the Empire 8 in goals (12) and points (26), while finishing second in shots (52) … His 12 goals in a single season rank second all-time at UC and his 26 total points rank fourth all-time …  He now has 52 career points, which ranks fourth all-time at Utica … For his efforts last season he was an Empire 8 All-Conference First Team pick, a NSCAA All-East Region Second Team selection and an ECAC All-Star.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia) became the first Utica College men's soccer player to receive the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Award last season and returns for his sophomore campaign looking to build upon the success of his freshman year … Gazashvili, who was also named an Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team forward, played in 18-of-19 games while starting in 14 for UC last season … He led the team and the conference in assists with six and finished eighth in points (14) and points per game (.78 Avg/G) … He posted two multi-assist games along with a two goal performance against Alfred to help push UC into the conference tournament.

ON THE ATTACK: The Pioneers return six of their top eight scorers from last year including Ruffing, Gazashvili, Raine Owens (Pine Plains, NY/Stissing Mt. ), Matt Beljan (Bedminster, PA/Christopher Dock), Evan Bailey (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and Marcel Dupuis (Hannacroix, NY/Greenville) … UC lists five forwards on their roster including Ruffing, Dupuis, sophomore's Gustaf Petersen (Stockholm, Sweden/Blackebergs) and Dzenan Racic (Utica, NY/Proctor), as well as freshman Johnny Damon (Commack, NY/Commack) … They hope to build upon their 1.32 goals scored per game average of a year ago. 

HOLDING DOWN THE MIDFIELD: The Pioneers have plenty of experience and pace in the midfield … Captain's Justin Schray (Oxford, NY/Oxford) and Jordan Seneay will lead the way in the middle of the pitch, with help from 2015 Empire 8 All-Conference picks Connor Reagan (Sanbornton, NH/Bridgton ) and Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia) … The deep junior class of Matt Beljan (Bedminster, PA/Christopher Dock), Joseph Hunter (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh) and Raine Owens (Pine Plains, NY/Stissing Mt. ) makes the midfield an extremely strong position for the Pioneers …Sophomore Ricky Drake (Clifton Park, NY/Catholic Central) started 15 games as a freshman and Kyle Carr (Trumansburg, NY/Charles O. Dickerson) also returns with one year of collegiate experience under his belt … Freshmen Joseph Conteras, Peyton LaReaux (Utica, NY/T.R. Proctor), Nicolas Diaz (Commack, NY/Commack) and Julian Fonseca (Rock Hill, CT/Rocky Hill ) will pressure for playing time in the middle of the field.

STRONG IN THE BACK: The junior trio of Patrick Claffey (Burlington, CT/Lewis Mills), Evan Bailey (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and Owen Gillam (Bristol, CT/Bristol) will anchor the Pioneer defense alongside experienced senior John Burke (Commack. NY/Commack) and sophomore Diego Cueva (Woodside, NY/CTEA), who played in 11 games as a freshman … This group helped the Pioneers post five shut outs last season to go along with ten games where they allowed one goal or less … The newcomers to the defensive end include junior Andrew Mazzatti (Utica, NY/T.R. Proctor), and the freshman class of Connor Nolte (Cohoes, NY/Shaker), James Delaney (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury), Garrett Bortiatynski (Rome, NY/Holland Patemt) and Jordan Smith (Tolland, CT/Tolland). 

PROTECTING THE NET: The graduation of David Abdou (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has left the Pioneers with three goalies vying for the starting role throughout preseason camp… Sophomore Matthew Milograno (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) played in one game last season and he will compete with senior Nick Hallett (Adams, NY/South Jefferson CSD) and Sean King-Donaghy (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) for time in goal. 

PIONEERS ALL-ACCESS: If you can't make it out to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium 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 at the stadium… 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 … Live statistics 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 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.