Utica, NY – The Utica College women's soccer team will begin the 2017 season this weekend at the Erinn K. Brozman Cup, hosted by Hartwick College. The Pioneers will battle Keuka College on Friday, starting at 3 p.m., and then face off against Western New England at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
2016 Season: Last year UC finished with a record of 2-12-2 overall and 1-5-2 in the Empire 8. In the team's 4-1 conference victory over Elmira, returners Keri Berkowitz (Racine, WI/Racine Saint Catherine's) and Jenna Mazza (Frankfort, NY/Sauquoit Valley) led the way. Berkowitz contributed one goal and two assists, while Mazza recorded two goals and one assist. Berkowitz also tallied one goal and two assists in the 5-0 win over SUNY Canton.

Welcome to UC: Utica has added 11 new faces to the roster going into this season including 10 freshmen and one sophomore. Take a look at the newest members of the Pioneer family: Amanda Thut (Carmel, NY/Carmel), Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester), Carly Craft (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville), Kayla Longo (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont), Shaelin Siniscarco (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner), Sara Bender (Wappingers Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham), Nora Arancio (Clinton, NY/Clinton), Emma Workman (Salt Lake City, UT/East), Emily Mildner (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush), and Kaitlyn Maggiolino (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro).
 
Key Returners: The Pioneers will welcome back two of their three top goal scorers last season in Jenna Mazza (Frankfort, NY/Sauquoit Valley) and Keri Berkowitz (Racine, WI/Racine Saint Catherine's). Mazza finished 2016 with four goals, while Berkowitz scored three. UC is also returning two of its top three assist leaders from the previous year. Berkowitz led the team with six assists as Amanda Pawlikowski (Vernon, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) added two of her own. There were six players last season that allocated over 1,000 minutes on the field and four are back for another year. AnnaLisa MacPhee (Latham, NY/Shaker), Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), Abby Reilly (Brookfield, NY/Brookfield) and Keri Berkowitz (Racine, WI/Racine Saint Catherine's) all bring valuable experience to this 2017 roster.
 
Back in Net: Goalkeeper, Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), is back for her sophomore season in the net for Utica College. During her freshman campaign, Wagner earned her spot as the starter and made 12 starts for the team in goal. She ended the season with a saves per game average of 9.43 and a total of 132 saves, leading the Empire 8 Conference in both categories. Wagner also recorded double-digit saves in nine of her 13 appearances last season.
 
Season Layout: After starting the season this weekend, UC will hold its home opener against SUNY Poly on Thursday, September 7^th. On September 23^rd, the Pioneers will host a Brain Cancer Awareness Game, as they begin conference play against Nazareth. The team has also scheduled a Breast Cancer Awareness Game for October 11^th, as it will battle Hamilton. Homecoming Weekend and Senior Day will be celebrated on October 21^st, as the team will play its last home game of the season. Finally the Empire 8 Conference Tournament will begin November 3^rd, for the schools that qualify.

Scouting Keuka: Keuka College finished last season with an overall record of 9-8-1 and finished 8-4-1 in conference play. The Wolves were led by NEAC Rookie of the Year, Emily McGuigan, as she recorded team-highs of 19 goals and seven assists. Nicole Browe was second on the team in both categories, tallying eight goals and five assists. Browe and McGuigan were joined by teammates Allison Ariola, Sarah Hartman and Abbey David in receiving NEAC All-Conference honors at the end of the season. The last meeting between UC and Keuka was in 2014, which resulted in a 3-2 double-overtime victory for the Pioneers.
 
Scouting Western New England: The Golden Bears ended last season with a 6-11-3 overall record and a conference record of 3-5-1. Danielle Dixon is the leading scorer for the returners, as she finished last year with four goals and one assist. Christina Delude had four assists in 2016, which is tops amongst this season's returners. The team has kept its starting goalkeeper, Marissa Veilleux, who registered 86 saves and a goals against average of 1.88 last season. This will be the first meeting between the Pioneers and the Golden Bears in program history.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on September 7^th for their home opener against SUNY Poly. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.