Utica, NY - The Utica College women's soccer team looks to bounce back off a two match skid as it hosts Morrisville in a non-conference match on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Opening kickoff under the lights is set for 7 p.m.

Faculty/Staff Appreciation: The Pioneers will be dedicating Wednesday's game to the faculty and staff of Utica College, to show appreciation for all that they do for the school. Each member of the team has chosen a faculty or staff member on campus that has positively affected their experience at Utica College. The names and positions of each selected faculty/staff member will be announced at halftime of the game in recognition of their positive impact on our student-athletes.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers hit the road to local rival Hamilton College and came up just short in a 1-0 defeat. The difference for the host Continentals came in the seventh minute on a goal by Cassie Hayward. Beyond that, junior goalkeeper Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) was flawless with 18 saves throughout the balance of the match. The narrowly decided match came against a team that holds two one goal defeats against squads ranked in the top ten nationally. Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester) landed two shots on goal for the Pioneers.

Where We Stand: The Pioneers are presently 5-5-2, and 2-1-1 in the Empire 8 Conference. Their conference record has them in a numerical tie with Sage for the fourth and final playoff spot. Utica's current standing adds a significant degree of gravitas to the team's four remaining Empire 8 matches as the Pioneers chase their first postseason spot since 2007.

Player of the Week: Goalkeeper Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) was given her due for a long string of strong performances as she was named the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Wagner had a busy week for the Pioneers as she kept Utica within a single goal in a pair of defeats. On Wednesday, she stopped four of the six shots she saw in a 2-1 Empire 8 loss to Sage. On Sunday, she posted her second highest save total of the season with 18 in a 1-0 loss against Hamilton. The award is Wagner's first of the season. Following her performances last week, she moved up from second to first on the Empire 8 leaderboard with 98 saves. Wagner now has 387 career saves, and needs just 39 more to tie the Utica College career record of 426.

On the Attack: Utica is paced offensively by sophomore Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) and junior Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland). The pair each have six goals to stand in a tie for fifth in the Empire 8, while Blumenstock has also added four assists to lead the team with sixteen points. Blumenstock's assist total also stands fifth in the conference. Caissey holds the most recent tally for Utica as she scored on a penalty kick in last week's loss to Sage.

Consider the Source: The Pioneers are presently 2-for-2 on penalty kick chances this season. Both goals have come off the foot of the same player, as Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) holds both penalty kick goals the Pioneers have scored this year.

Helping Out: While Utica's top end scoring is fairly well defined this season, the offense has gotten a wide array of contributions beyond its top two scorers. Abby Reilly (Brookfield, NY/Brookfield) sits third on the team with two goals, and is also second on the squad with three assists. Seven more players have scored at least one goal this season, and thirteen players on the roster have totaled two or more total points.

Fresh Into The Fray: Forward Katherine Migliori (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) may be just a freshman, and has only gotten four starts, but that hasn't stopped her from constantly applying pressure on the opposing goal. The newcomer has taken sixteen shots this year to rank third on the squad, and has one goal that stood as the game-winner when Utica defeated Clarkson on Sept. 15.

Continuity Matters: Four players currently hold the team's active mark for consecutive starts, as defenders Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester), Emma Workman (Salt Lake City, UT/East), and Amanda Thut (Carmel, NY/Carmel), and goalkeeper Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) have made 29 straight starts headed into tonight's match. In addition, nine of the team's starting eleven have remained constant this season for each match. Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland), Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner), Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), Amanda Thut (Carmel, NY/Carmel), Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester), Carly Craft (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville), Annalisa MacPhee, Emma Workman (Salt Lake City, UT/East), and Shaelin Siniscarco (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) have twelve starts in the team's twelve matches.

Running Short: Utica has few opportunities left to test itself in non-conference action before entering the heat of battle for a late season run in conference play. After tonight's tilt, and this weekend's Empire 8 match against Alfred, the Pioneers will play one more non-conference match against SUNY Poly before diving in to three critically important Empire 8 matches to wrap up the regular season.

Step Forward: One more win would give the Pioneers their best single season total so far in the four year tenure of head coach Eileen Blumenauer.

About the Mustangs: Morrisville is currently 6-6, and 5-2 in the North Eastern Athletic Conference under third year head coach Amanda Gagliano. They have rebounded off a 1-4 start to the season with five wins in their last seven matches, most recently a NEAC win over Cobleskill. Shay Franklin had two tallies in the Mustang win. Franklin's seven goals for the season lead the squad, and keeper Brianna Sorriento has five wins in nine starts.

Last Year Against Morrisville: Utica blanked the Mustangs by a 5-0 score at Drake Field on Sept. 12, 2017. Abby Reilly (Brookfield, NY/Brookfield) led Utica with two goals while the Pioneers outshot Morrisville 27-7 in total.

Up Next: Utica hosts Alfred in an Empire 8 match on Saturday, Sept. 13. The team's senior day celebration will be held in conjunction with the match, and kickoff time is slated for 1 p.m.