Utica, NY – It was Senior Day for the Utica College football team on Saturday at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium, as the Pioneers hosted #3 Brockport for an E8 clash. The visiting Golden Eagles remained undefeated (8-0, 5-0 E8), defeating UC, 22-6, in a cold and rainy contest.
 
Prior to the start of the game was a brief Senior Day ceremony to recognize the graduating class of 2019. The individual seniors were joined on the field by family, friends, loved ones, and coaches to celebrate their time here at Utica College.
 
The heavy rain proved to affect play in this one as a high snap back to the end zone on a Utica punt attempt opened up the scoring and gave Brockport an early 2-0 lead. Both teams struggled adjusting to the weather conditions early on as the first quarter of play was plagued by punts and turnovers.
 
The offenses started to get things going in the second, as Brockport's Joseph Ortiz caught a 25 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Germinerio to extend the lead to 9-0. After a big stop on 3^rd and 6 near midfield forced Brockport to punt, UC had time for one more drive to gain some momentum before halftime. Senior wide receiver Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) caught three consecutive throws of 26 yards or more, including a 30 yard touchdown pass from Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor). Maki Medici's (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) point after attempt was blocked, but the Pioneers cut the deficit to three points at the mid-game break.
 
Brockport received the ball to start the second half, but its first drive of the half was spoiled as UC's Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) caused a fumble that teammate Daryl Savage (Elmira, NY/Elmira) fell on. However, the nationally ranked Golden Eagles would stop a fake punt attempt on 4^th and short to get the ball right back. Quarterback Joe Germinerio would lead Brockport down the field for a quick score after the change of possession to take a 16-6 lead. Brockport would score once more in the third, as running back Zach Samborski would break through on a goal-line run to make the score 22-6 after the missed extra point attempt. The Golden Eagles effectively killed the clock in the fourth quarter to coast to a victory on the road.
 
Freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) completed 14 passes for 195 yards with one touchdown and a pick in the contest. Wilcox connected with Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) six times for a total of 121 receiving yards (season-high) and a score. Vincent has now caught four touchdown passes in the last three games, giving him seven on the year.
 
With Brockport averaging 50.7 points per game heading into Saturday, the Pioneer defense held the visiting team to 22 points and forced three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 interception). Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) finished with a game-high 14 tackles and had 2.5 sacks for six yards. Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) made 11 tackles and forced a fumble in this one. Senior Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) recorded an interception for the second straight week, while teammates Matthew McCoy (Sherrill, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) and Daryl Savage (Elmira, NY/Elmira) each had a fumble recovery.
 
The loss brings Utica's record to 4-4 overall and 2-3 against Empire 8 foes with just two games left on the schedule. The Pioneers are on the road next weekend for a conference battle with Buffalo State (1-7, 1-4 E8), beginning at 12 p.m.