UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's soccer team begins Empire 8 conference play on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 19 as they visit the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. Match time in Pittsford, NY is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Where We Sit: Through the opening non-conference stretch of the 2018 season, the Pioneers have opened at a record of 2-3-1 through six non-conference matches. The Utica eleven is unbeaten in three of its last four, and has recorded wins against SUNY Canton and Clarkson University. Most recently, Utica split their first home weekend of the season against Clarkson and Potsdam.

Last Time Out: Freshman Katherine Migliori (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) lifted the lid on Saturday's match with her first career collegiate goal in the 24th minute, and that's all the Pioneers would need as they blanked Clarkson University 1-0 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The Pioneers prevailed in the match despite being outshot 8-4 in shots on goal, and Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) posted eight saves to earn the clean sheet.

Pitch Perfect: With her 21 saves this weekend, junior goalkeeper Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) has moved into second on Utica's all-time career saves list with 346. She needs 80 more saves within the next two seasons to claim the career record currently held by Melissa Diana, who backstopped the Pioneers from 1996 to 1998. Wagner has been on fire as of late, with clean sheets in three of her last four matches.

Ripping It To The Rope: The Pioneers currently hold seven goals through their first six matches of the season, with two players tied for the team lead. Sophomore Keirra Caissey and senior Abby Reilly (Brookfield, NY/Brookfield) each have two goals apiece for the Pioneers, and that veteran presence has also been bolstered through a one goal contribution by Shaelin Siniscarco (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford). Newcomers have also made their presence felt with freshman Katherine Migliori (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and transfer student Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) each netting their first goals in a Pioneer uniform this past weekend.

Keep Me In, Coach: Sophomore defender Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester) has been omnipresent on the pitch for the Pioneers during their first six matches of the season. She leads the team in minutes played with 540, and has played the entire match without coming out on four different occasions. That includes a 110 minute scoreless draw against Buffalo State. In all, Gagnon has only missed 20 minutes of match action in total.

Defensive Continuity: The Pioneers feature one of the region's best up-and-coming back lines, as sophomores Emma Workman (Salt Lake City, UT/East), Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester), Amanda Thut (Carmel, NY/Carmel), and Carly Craft (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville) have worked well in tandem with Wagner this season to limit opponents to just 1.67 goals per match. All five members of that quintet have started all six matches to begin the season.

About Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are 3-2-1 in their first six matches of the year entering Empire 8 conference play. Nazareth features one of the stingiest defenses in the Empire 8 conference, as they currently lead all Empire 8 squads with just .50 goals against per match. They have allowed just three goals in their first six matches. Kristen Prohaska and Mary LoCicero lead the club with two goals apiece up front, and goalkeeper Hannah Miller has shut down 51 of 54 opposing shot attempts.

Last Year: Nazareth won the match by a 4-0 score at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Julia Delgatti, Mary LoCicero, Paige Sullivan, and Laura Herman all scored for the Golden Flyers. Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) had 15 saves for Utica.

What's Next: The Pioneers return home on Saturday, Sept. 22nd as they host Elmira for an Empire 8 conference match. The match will be Utica's Brain Cancer Awareness match in honor of Courtney Wagner. Opening kickoff is set for noon.