UTICA, NY- The Utica College field hockey team is set for back-to-back road games this weekend on Saturday and Sunday.  UC will take on Empire 8 opponent, Houghton College on Saturday before traveling to SUNY Cortland on Sunday.  Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  UC used two goals in the second half to down host Nazareth College 2-0 in Empire 8 Conference action last Saturday afternoon… Junior Jordan Noga (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and sophomore Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall) scored just 58 seconds apart to give Utica the two-goal cushion with 22 minutes left to play...  Noga's tally was her first career goal, while Kauffman netted her third score of the season...  Junior Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) made four saves to earn her second shutout of the season.
 
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) currently ranks second in the conference with 10.15 saves per game and her 132 saves this year rank third on the College's single-season list…   She is fifth all-time at UC with 183 career saves and four career shutouts.
 
LEADING THE WAY: Sophomore Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) leads the team with nine points (four goals, one assist)… Senior Rachael Scaramuzzino (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) is right behind her with eight points off of four goals… Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall) has seven points (three goals, one assist), while Tori Couture (Auburn, ME/Edward Little ), Jessica Belt (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder), Fiona Shea (East Greenbush, NY/East Greenbush), Josie Sgarlata (Canastota, NY/Canastota), and Jordan Noga (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) have also found the back of the net this season.
 
TEAM DEFENSE: The Pioneers have totaled 10 defensive saves this season… Junior Jordan Noga (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) leads the squad and ranks second in the College's single-season record book with five defensive saves this year… Madison Williams (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) and Sara Hennessey (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) each have two defensive saves, and Madison Babicz (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) has one save to her credit.
 
SCOUTING HOUGHTON: The Highlanders are 7-6 overall and 2-3 in the Empire 8… Houghton is coming off a 2-1 loss to Keystone College on Wednesday… Houghton is led by sophomore Tanya Hatton, who has 10 goals and 22 points on the season… Junior goalie Elizabeth Piszker has compiled a 1.63 goals against average and a .778 save percentage in 13 starts. 
 
AGAINST THE HIGHLANDERS: UC is 4-0 all-time against Houghton, with three shutouts… Last year, UC came away with a 4-0 victory at home… Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) and Rebecca Kauffman (Mount Joy, PA/Linden Hall) had one goal apiece, while Rachael Scaramuzzino (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) and Tori Couture (Auburn, ME/Edward Little ) each had one assist.
 
SCOUTING CORTLAND: The Red Dragons are 9-3 overall (4-0 SUNYAC) and they are coming off a 7-0 win over Oswego on Wednesday… Senior Gabby Stein and sophomore Jessica Welsh are tied for the team-lead with 11 goals apiece… Stein has also chipped in with 11 assists, while Welsh has tallied eight helpers… Goalie Kailynne Reinoehl holds a .78 goals against average and a .883 save percentage on the year…  This will be the first ever meeting between Utica and Cortland.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers return home next Thursday as they host SUNY Geneseo… Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.