UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team returns home from a three game road trip on Wednesday when the Pioneers host SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in non-conference action on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.  The contest is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Approaching Midseason: The Pioneers currently hold a 4-4 overall record with 11 games remaining on their regular season schedule … UC opened up Empire 8 Conference action with a tough 2-0 loss at Alfred University on Saturday and the Pioneers will look to even their conference record up at 1-1 this weekend when they travel to St. John Fisher College to take on the Cardinals in E8 play Saturday at 2 p.m.

Last Time Out: UC netted two second half goals on its way to a 2-0 victory over host D'Youville on Sunday afternoon …Senior Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia/) netted his first goal of the season in the 54th minute, while Austyn Diller (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) scored his first collegiate goal in the 65th minute to help the Pioneers snap a three game slide.

League Leaders: UC's Julian Fonseca (Rocky Hill, CT/Bridgton) currently leads the conference with five assists this season in eight games played … He has three more assists than any other player in the conference to date … Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 1.00 points per contest … Purcell's three goals lead the team and are tied for fourth in the league.

Shutting Down Opponents: Utica goalie Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh) is tied for the league lead with three shutouts this season … He also ranks second in the Empire 8 with an average of 6.29 saves per contest … He has a goals against average of 1.28 in seven games played. 

Second Half Stunners: 10 of Utica's 11 goals this season have come in the second half … All four of Utica's wins have come by way of a second half goal.

Spreading the Wealth: Nine players have at least one goal this season for Utica and 12 total players have registered at least one point … Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) ranks third on the team with one goal and one assist, while Nicolas Diaz (Commack, NY/Commack), Bita Gazashvili (Tiblisi, Georgia/), Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden), Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) and Salvatore Cabibbo (Port Chester, NY/Port Chester) each have one goal to their credit. 

Meet the Opponent: SUNY ESF heads into Wednesday's contest with a 4-1 overall record … The Mighty Oaks are winners of three in a row, including victories over Davis, Albany College of Pharmacy, and Culinary … Joseph Kulikowski leads the team with three goals and one assist, while Jean Carlos Barrientos also has seven points on two goals and three assists … Goalie Matt Hope has 20 saves and a .53 goals against average in four contests.