UTICA, NY – The Utica College field hockey team faces a big weekend at home at it hosts Empire 8 rivals St. John Fisher College and Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday and Sunday.  Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m. both days.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off a 2-1 loss to RPI on Tuesday… Utica held a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, but the Engineers netted two goals in the final 2:17 of regulation to earn the comeback win… Senior Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) scored for UC, while Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) picked up the assist… Freshman Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) made eight saves in goal. 
 
Saving the Best for Last: Senior Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) leads the Empire 8 with 11 goals and 25 points… Meelan is in the midst of a six-game scoring streak in which she has totaled 18 points… She is currently seventh all-time in career points at UC (83) and she needs just five more to move into a tie for sixth place… Meelan also needs one more goal to match her single-season career-high of 12, which she accomplished as a junior.
 
Heating Up: After being held scoreless in her first five contests, sophomore Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has totaled nine points (three goals, three assists) in her last five games… Scaccia needs three more goals and just four more points to match her scoring output from last season.
 
Defensive End: Freshman Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) ranks third in the conference in total saves (73) and saves per game (7.3)… Senior Madison Babicz (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) is tied for second in the E8 with three defensive saves, while sophomore Jenny Robbins (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) is also in the top-ten in the conference with two defensive saves. 
 
Scouting St. John Fisher: The Cardinals are currently 7-3 (2-1 Empire 8) and they are coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 6 University of Rochester on Wednesday… Sophomore Bre Socker leads the team in goals (eight), assists (eight), and points (24)…Senior Ashley Maynard has a .831 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average.
 
Against Fisher: The Pioneers are 5-3 against the Cardinals in the last five years. The teams split last season, with Fisher taking a 4-1 win during the regular season, but Utica downed the Cardinals 2-0 in the Empire 8 semifinals behind a pair of goals by Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton). 
 
Scouting Stevens: The Ducks enter the weekend with a 7-3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the E8… Stevens will face Elmira College on Saturday before coming to Utica on Sunday… Stevens is led by Ireland Tawney, who has a team-best seven goals and 16 points… Emily Franco has a .804 save percentage and a 1.32 goals against average.
 
Against the Ducks: Utica is 3-3 against Stevens in the last five years… Last year, the Pioneers came away with a 4-1 win… Rylee Meelan (Clinton, NY/Clinton) and Ricki Haab (Stowe, VT/Stowe) each had a goal and an assist, while Jessica Belt (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder) and Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) had one goal each. 
 
Looking Ahead: UC will have almost a full week off before traveling to Washington & Jefferson on Saturday for a match up against the Presidents.  Game time is scheduled for 10 a.m.