UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team returns to action on Wednesday afternoon when the Pioneers travel to Morrisville State to take on the Mustangs in non-conference action at 7:30 p.m.

Follow the Game Live: Morrisville Athletic Communications will provide live video and live stats for Wednesday's road contest … Check UC's schedule for links to the live options: http://www.ucpioneers.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc

Solid Start: The Pioneers are currently 3-2 overall and they are off to their best start since 2012 when they opened the season with a 4-1 record through five contests.

Clean Sheets: The Pioneers have three shutouts through five games this season, equaling their combined total from the two previous seasons … Goalie Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh) already has one Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honor to his credit and he currently leads the conference in shutouts and total saves (38) … His 38 total saves rank fourth nationally … He ranks second in the league with a 1.95 goals against average and he also ranks second in the conference with a .864 save percentage.

League Leader: Junior Julian Fonseca (Rocky Hill, CT/Bridgton) currently leads the league with four assists through five games this season … Fonseca ranks second on the team with six total points after registering his first collegiate goal in the Pioneers' 6-0 win over New Rochelle on Saturday. 

Golden Boot: Utica junior Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) currently leads the team and ranks third in the conference with an average of 1.40 points per game … He has seven points on three goals and one assist this season … He netted a career-high two goals in the Pioneers' win over New Rochelle on Saturday.

Applying Pressure: The Utica offense has put pressure on its opponents all season, averaging 7.40 corner kicks per contests which ranks 36^th nationally and first in the Empire 8 … UC owns a 37-15 corner kick advantage through five games. 

Spreading the Wealth: Seven different Pioneers have at least one goal this season … Freshman Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) posted his first collegiate goal against New Rochelle on Saturday … Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) also cashed in on his first collegiate goal in the contest against the Blue Angels.

On the Road Again: Utica is currently 2-0 on the road this season with wins at both SUNY Polytechnic and SUNY Cobleskill to open the season. 

Last Time Out: UC looks to rebound from a tough 4-0 loss at home on Sunday against a talented New Paltz team.

Against the Mustangs: Utica is 1-2 against Morrisville State in the last five years… The last time UC beat Morrisville was back in 2013 at home by the score of 2-0 … UC is looking to snap a two match losing streak against the Mustangs … The last time these two teams squared off was back in 2015 and Morrisville came away with a 2-0 victory.   

Busy Weekend: UC will remain on the road this weekend when they travel west to take on Alfred University Saturday in the Empire 8 Conference opener for the Pioneers at 5 p.m. … UC will stay overnight and travel to Buffalo on Sunday morning to take on D'Youville in non-conference action at 12 p.m.