Utica, NY --The Utica College women's soccer team will host St. John Fisher on Wednesday for the final home match of the regular season. This Empire 8 contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers defeated Hartwick on the road, 2-0, as they improve to 9-5-2 overall and 4-1-1 against E8 opponents. Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) and Carly Craft (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville) both scored unassisted goals in the game to spearhead the Utica victory. Even though Hartwick outshot UC 13-6, goalkeeper Allison Wagner's (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) eight saves earned the shutout win.
Blumenstock on Fire: Junior Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) is leading the Empire 8 in total points (26) and goals scored (11). With the regular season winding down and the E8 Tournament just around the corner, her scoring has been vital to the team's success. Blumenstock has scored in four straight games, amassing five goals over the course of UC's four game win streak.
Winning Streak: The Pioneers have now won four consecutive matches in a row, outscoring opponents 11-3 during that stretch. The last time Utica went on a four-game win streak was back in the 2012 season when the team started the year 4-0. This run UC has been on has provided the team with 9 wins, marking the most wins in a season since 2006.
E8 Tournament Picture: Utica is currently 4-1-1 in the conference, which puts the squad in second place in the standings after the weekend. With the top four spots gaining entrance into the conference tournament, there is still work to be done to clinch an E8 Tournament berth. The full conference standings are as follows: 1. Stevens (7-0 E8), 2. Utica (4-1-1 E8), 3. Hartwick (4-3 E8), 4. Sage (3-2-1 E8), 5. Nazareth (2-2-3 E8), 6. Alfred (3-4 E8), 7. St. John Fisher (2-2-2 E8), 8. Houghton (0-5-2 E8), 9. Elmira (0-6-1 E8).
Scouting Fisher: With only two games left in the season, the Cardinals are sitting at 6-5-3 overall and 2-2-2 in conference play. The team has just one win over the last four games and most recently lost, 3-0, to Alfred. Carli Kovarik is leading the way for Fisher, as she has scored eight of the team's total of 11 goals on the year. Goalkeeper Melissa McGowan has started all 14 games this season and has come up with 58 saves.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will hit the road on Saturday to close out the regular season against Stevens. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m
