Men's Soccer | 9/22/2016 4:55:00 PM
Utica, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team returns home on Friday night when the Pioneers host Alfred University in Empire 8 Conference competition on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and it is a part of the College's homecoming festivities.
Welcome Home: Utica looks to get back on track after dropping a 5-0 decision against host Hobart College on Tuesday night as the Pioneers wrapped up a three game road trip … Utica will now play four of its next six games at home beginning with Alfred on Friday night … UC is 1-1 on its home turf this season … The Pioneers hold a 1-6 overall record and are in search of their first Empire 8 victory on Friday night.
Recent Years Against The Saxons: Utica has won or tied nine of its last 10 meetings against Alfred, outscoring the Saxons 29-6 in the last ten seasons… In the last ten years the Pioneers have shut out the Saxons six times … Alfred got the better of Utica last season, earning a 3-0 victory.
Stat Leaders: The Pioneers are led by
Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia) who has five points this season on two goals and one assist …
Joseph Hunter (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh),
Marcel Dupuis (Hannacroix, NY/Greenville) and
Owen Gillam (Bristol, CT/Bristol) each have three points (one goal, one assist).
Goalie Situation: Three Pioneers have seen time in net for Utica this season … Most recently
Austyn Diller (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee ) got the start against Hobart, turning away seven shots … Junior
Matthew Milograno (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) has seen the most action and he has posted 30 total saves and a 2.69 goals against average.
Meet the Saxons: Alfred heads to town with a 5-1-1 overall record and a 0-0-1 mark in Empire 8 Conference Play … The Saxons are unbeaten in their last five games, a streak that includes a recent 2-1 overtime victory against Kings and a solid 1-1 tie in conference play against Nazareth … Richard Lander leads Alfred with three goals this season, while James Piombino and Miguel Reyes each have five points on two goals and one assist … Expect to see Chris Gutierrez in goal for Alfred as he has posted a .67 goals against average and four shut outs this season.
Down the Line: Utica travels to Wells College on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. to take on the Express.
Follow the game Live: Live video and stats for Friday's contest will be available at Pioneers All-Access: portal.stretchinternet.com/Utica
Get The App: Utica Athletics recently launched a fan rewards program to promote fan engagement for all 26 of UC's intercollegiate sports… Powered by SuperFanU, the "Pioneer Pride Points" Fan Rewards app uses GPS tracking to recognize where fans are located at specified home games… Points are earned by attending and "Checking In" to UC athletics games, participating in a variety of contests and interacting with social media platforms through the app… The app is available on all IPhone and Android devices by searching 'Pioneer Pride Points' in the Apple App Store or GooglePlay Market and is free to all Utica College students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and fans.
Social Media: If you can't make it out to the game make sure to follow live updates on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers … If you are at the game on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #LetsGoUC … You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram or Snapchat by searching UCPioneers.
