UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team travels to nearby Hamilton College on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup against the Continentals at 4 p.m.

Match 15: Utica is entering the final stretch of its regular season schedule as they now have five games remaining before conference tournament play begins … UC will play three straight road games before returning to Gaetano Stadium to cap regular season play with a pair of home games … The Pioneers are currently 6-8 overall (0-4 Empire 8), marking their most wins in a single season since 2014 when they posted a 7-9-3 overall ledger.

Homecoming for Coach Marcantonio: Utica Head Coach Brian Marcantonio attended Hamilton and played under current Continental Head Coach Perry Nizzi … Marcantonio was a three-year starter, team captain, and an All-Northeast Region D3Kicks.com selection … He led Hamilton to three NCAA tournament appearances … Following his playing days he also spent one season as an assistant coach at Hamilton.

Fonseca on Fire: Utica College junior midfielder Julian Fonseca (Rocky Hill, CT/Bridgton) was named the College's Male Athlete of the Week on Monday … Fonseca led the way with a career-high five points to increase his team-leading point total to 16 (three goals, 10 assists) as the Pioneers topped visiting SUNY Canton 4-1 on Tuesday …  He is currently tied for second in the league with 16 points … He also has six more assists than any other player in the league … Fonseca needs just two more helpers to tie the program's single season assist record of 12 originally set by Roberto Sgueglia (2010) and Evan Dufault (2007).

Last Time Out: The Pioneers dropped a heartbreaker, 1-0, against visiting Elmira College on Saturday in Empire 8 play at Gaetano Stadium.

Playoff Outlook: The Pioneers will need to come away with a win in each of their final three conference games against Sage, Houghton and Stevens in order to earn their way into the playoff hunt … Plenty of parody in the league this season has created an even playing field across the board as three teams are currently tied for the coveted fourth spot in the standings.

One Goal Games: UC has lost four one goal games this season and they have outscored their opponents 19-18 over the course of 14 contests … 13 of the Pioneers 19 goals this year have come in the second half of play … Utica also holds a 79-60 corner kick advantage over its opponents.

Contributors: Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) has made his way back into the starting 11 and is currently tied for the team-lead with Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden) as they both have four goals this season … Purcell ranks seventh in the conference with an average of 2.36 shots per game … Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) has impressed in his first collegiate season and he currently ranks fourth on the team with six points on two goals and two assists … Walk-on Paul Mitchell (Belfast, Ireland/CBS) has made his presence felt with one goal and one assist in just five games played. 

Tough in Goal: Utica goalie Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh) is tied for third in the league with three shutouts this season … He also ranks third with 5.50 saves per game … He has a goals against average of 1.32 and a .797 save percentage.