UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team begins its 2017 season on Friday when the Pioneers travel to local rival SUNY Polytechnic to take on the Wildcats at 6 p.m. Utica will turn right back around and travel to SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday to square off against the Fighting Tigers at 1:30 p.m.

Getting Out of the Gates: The Pioneers will look to open up their season with a victory for the first time since 2014 when Head Coach Brian Marcantonio picked up his first coaching win against Sage in Utica's opener … The last time Utica won its season opener, the Pioneers went on to earn a spot in the coveted Empire 8 Conference Tournament.

Setting the Goals High: The Pioneers will look to earn a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament for the sixth time in program-history … They have made back-to-back tournament appearances twice in program history ('07-'08, '13-'14) … Back in 2013 UC earned its first conference tournament championship game appearance by way of a 2-0 semifinal victory over Ithaca.

Muller to Play Expanded Role: Sophomore attack Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden) will be called upon to increase his offensive production after finishing his freshman campaign ranked third on the team with three goals … The 6-foot-4 forward from Camillus, NY played in 16 games last season and posted a team-high 20 shots.

Senior Class: Ricky Drake (Clifton Park, NY/Catholic Central) and Andrew Ruyack (Chester, NY/Monroe Woodbury), will provide the Pioneers with senior leadership and key collegiate minutes on the pitch this season … Drake has the most caps among returning Pioneers, having played in 50 career games at Utica (40 starts) … Ruyack returns to the lineup after spending the last two seasons on the sidelines due to injury.

Goalie Situation: The Pioneers feature four goalies on the roster including Matthew Milograno (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh), Austyn Diller (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) and Randy Miksch (Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township) … Senior Matthew Milograno (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) is the most veteran keeper in the group with 22 collegiate starts under his belt in the last three seasons … Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh) transferred into Utica from Tompkins Cortland Community College where he played in 11 games last season and posted a 1.66 goals against average to go along with two shutouts … Austyn Diller (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) played in four games last year for the Pioneers and registered 19 saves … Randy Miksch (Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township) comes to Utica from Warren Township High School in Lake Villa, IL and provides the Pioneers with solid depth between the pipes.

Key Transfers: Apart from goalie Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh), the Pioneers will look for immediate impact on the pitch from transfers Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) … Marvin transferred to Utica after starting 14 games in his freshman season at LeMoyne in 2015 … Back in 2014 Marvin helped lead Shenendehowa High School to a Section II Class AA Championship … Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) transferred in from Tompkins Cortland Community College and is expected to step right in on the pitch for Utica … He played in 13 games at TCCC last season and registered seven points (two goals, three assists).

Juniors Stepping Up:  Connor Nolte (Cohoes, NY/Shaker), Julian Fonseca (Rocky Hill, CT/Bridgton) and Nicolas Diaz (Commack, NY/Commack) will lead the junior class this season … Fonseca is the most experienced in the group with 32 collegiate games played (28 starts) … He heads into the season with three career assists … Nolte has 30 games to his credit and posted one assist last season … Diaz has one goal in 22 games played for the Pioneers … Calvin Mends (Accra, Ghana/Tema International), Garrett Bortiatynski (Rome, NY/Holland Patent), Luke Tantillo (Clinton, NY/Clinton) and Enock Bunyon (Accra, Ghana/Adisadel) will all be looking to provide the Pioneers with depth in expanded roles this season.

Deep Sophomore Class: Anthony LaGatta (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Jerry Htoo (Utica, NY/Proctor), Seth Schreifels (Mechanicville, NY/Stillwater), Randy Malek (Tampa, FL/Alonso), Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden), Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) and Salvatore Cabibbo (Port Chester, NY/Port Chester) make up a deep and talented sophomore class for Utica … LaGatta played in six games while starting three in his first collegiate season last year … Jerry Htoo (Utica, NY/Proctor) will be expected to step into a larger role this year after playing in 10 games in 2016 … Salvatore Cabibbo (Port Chester, NY/Port Chester) saw solid time as a freshman last season and is expected to have an increased role after playing in 12 games in 2016 (seven starts) … Randy Malek (Tampa, FL/Alonso) played in eight games and started three last season for Utica … Seth Schreifels (Mechanicville, NY/Stillwater) was a Wasaren League Boys Soccer All-Star Second Team selection back in 2014 as a senior at Stillwater High School … Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) returns to Utica following a two year reprieve … Back in 2014 he played in 19 games for the Pioneers, including three starts as a freshman.

Welcome to Utica: The Pioneers freshman class will be led by Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem), Daniel Varsames (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs), Eric Emmons (Constantia, NY/Bishop Ludden), Michael Moran (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) and Zackery Caporale (Clermont, FL/South Lake) … Hynes (midfield), Caporale (midfield) and Varzames (defense) could see immediate action for Utica … Emmons will help bolster the midfield, while Moran will add depth in the backfield.

Meet the Coaching Staff: Head Coach Brian Marcantonio heads into his fourth season with the Pioneers … Marcantonio currently has 14 victories to his credit to go along with one Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance … He has helped guide nine players to Empire 8 All-Conference status … Marcantonio will be joined on the sidelines by first year assistant coach Matthew Guinto … Guinto's most recent coaching experience includes stints with the Greater Binghamton FC 02 Select Boys and the BC United Energy 00-03 Girls … He is no stranger to Empire 8 soccer, having played four seasons at St. John Fisher College, helping to lead the Cardinals to three Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearances.

2016 Recap: The Pioneers will look to build off of a 2016 season where they finished 2-13-1 overall (five one goal losses) … UC earned wins over Baruch and Ithaca last Fall and also tied a tough Houghton squad in Empire 8 play … Utica will look to replace double digit point production after the loss of all-conference selection Owen Gillam (Bristol, CT/Bristol) to graduation … Gillam, who is now on the sidelines as an assistant coach, had a breakout senior season that featured a team-high five goals to go along with one assist.