ELMIRA, NY- The Utica College field hockey team got back on track Saturday as it topped Elmira College 4-1 in its Empire 8 Conference opener.  UC has now won its last 12 straight Empire 8 regular season contests.
 
Freshmen Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) and Tiffany Evans (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) each scored their first collegiate goals, while junior transfer Meghan McCormick (Ava, NY/RFA) netted her first in a Pioneer uniform.  Meelan led all players with five points on the afternoon.
 
Utica wasted little time as Evans tallied her goal at 5:56 of the first half, off an assist from Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport).  Just ten minutes later, Meelan netted her first of the day, as she ripped a shot on the bottom left corner, also assisted by Dowling.
 
The Pioneers started hot in the second half as well as McCormick found the back of the net just three minutes into the second stanza.  Meelan assisted on the play.  The turning point of the game came at 39:35 as sophomore Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) stopped a penalty stroke to maintain the three-goal Utica lead. Meelan capped off the scoring for the Pioneers at 43:17 as she netted her second of the game, assisted by Tori Couture (Auburn, ME/Edward Little ).
 
Elmira was able to break Utica's shutout hopes at 48:22 as Kristy Haskell deflected a shot into the top right corner for her first score of the year.
 
Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) had six saves in the win, while Julie Hockenberger made 11 saves in the loss.  Utica (2-5) returns home Wednesday as it hosts Empire 8 foe Nazareth College. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.