UTICA, NY- The Utica College field hockey team looks to bounce back this weekend as it has a pair of non-conference contests.  The Pioneers travel to RPI on Saturday to face the Engineers at 1 p.m. before returning home on Sunday to host the University of Rochester (1 p.m.).
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica (1-2) went 1-1 last weekend as it defeated Oneonta 2-1 in overtime, before falling to New Paltz 4-1… Freshman Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall) scored her first collegiate goal just 56 seconds into the game and classmate Brittany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) netted the game-winner in overtime to lift Utica over Oneonta on Saturday… Sophomore Maria Orsino (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) netted her first career goal in the loss to New Paltz.
 
CASEY SHUTTING THE DOOR: Senior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) currently ranks second in the Empire 8 Conference with 8.00 saves per game… She is also sixth in goals against average (2.81) and has compiled a .750 save percentage.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT: First year Pioneers Brittany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa), Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall), Tiffany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa), Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton), Madison Babicz (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Maria Orsino (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit), and Meghan McCormick (Ava, NY/RFA) have made their presence felt throughout the first three games… Brittany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa), Kauffman, and Orsino each netted goals last weekend, while Meelan, Babicz, and McCormick provided offensive threats… Tiffany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) has started two games this season and logged 131 minutes of playing time in the midfield.
 
SMITH SAVES THE DAY: Through three games so far, junior Jessica Smith (Vernon, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) has tallied three defensive saves… She is currently tied for fifth on the College's single-season list and needs just three more to tie Shannon Moats '10 for first all-time. 
 
DOWLING LEADING THE WAY: Senior Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) is the active leader in games played (67) and points (52)… She currently has two assists on the season and has fired off a team-high 13 shots. 
 
SCOUTING RPI: The Engineers are 3-1 overall after downing Hartwick, Mount Holyoke, and SUNY Geneseo… They are coming off a 2-1 loss at Hamilton on Wednesday… Sophomore Megan Jones leads the team with four goals and nine points, while freshman Rachel Kaufman has compiled a 1.14 goals against average and .852 save percentage.
 
AGAINST THE ENGINEERS: UC is 8-6 all-time against RPI, however the Pioneers have held the upper hand recently, as they have won each of the last three meetings… Last year, Utica came away with a 3-0 victory, behind a four-save shutout from Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich). 
 
SCOUTING U OF R: The nationally ranked No. 20 University of Rochester is 3-0 on the young season, while outscoring opponents 11-1… Six different players have scored on the year, led by Callie Fisher and Nicole Cerza, who each have three goals… Tara Lamberti has compiled a .35 goals against average and .889 save percentage. 
 
AGAINST THE YELLOWJACKETS: Utica holds a 4-2 advantage in head-to-head meetings over the last six years… The road team has won each of the last five meetings and five of the last six games have been decided by just one goal.     
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers return to action Wednesday as they travel to Geneseo… Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
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.