UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's soccer team is unbeaten in their last three matches and seeks to extend that streak on Wednesday, Sept. 26 as they host Cazenovia. The meeting will be the first between the two programs since 2005, and opening kickoff for the non-conference match is set for 4 p.m.

Last Time Out: Utica broke open Saturday's scoring on a Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) goal at 6:52 of the first half, and the Pioneers never looked back as they went on to rout Elmira by a 7-0 score in Empire 8 play at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The Pioneers scored five goals in the second half, including two in a span of 22 seconds from sophomore Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) to help square away the match's outcome. Kayla Longo (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont), Gabrielle Esposito (Rotterdam, NY/Mohonasen), Jessica Levy (Coram, NY/Longwood), and Taylor Miller (Trumansburg, NY/Charles O. Dickerson) all added goals in the rout and the Pioneer defense held Elmira to just two shots on goal.

Magnificent Seven: Utica's seven goals on Saturday was a prolific offensive effort on its own, but the magnitude grows significantly when you consider its standing in the recent history of the Utica women's soccer program. The Pioneers put up their highest goal total in over a decade in the match. They previously scored seven goals in a match against SUNY Poly, then SUNYIT, on September 10th, 2007. It could also stand as a good omen for Utica's postseason hopes as 2007 marked their last trip to the Empire 8 tournament.

They've Got Them Cornered: In addition to leaving Elmira off the scoreboard on Saturday, the Soaring Eagles were also left completely out of corner kick opportunities by the Pioneers, who held a 9-0 advantage. Utica struck off one of those corners as Kayla Longo (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) netted her first goal of the season.

Kierra is Key: Sophomore midfielder Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) has lit up the scoreboard for Utica in the past week, with three goals in two matches. Her penalty kick goal was enough to keep things level in a 1-1 scoreless draw with Nazareth last Wednesday, and she later scored twice in just over thirty seconds in Saturday's rout of Elmira. Combined with her two goal outing against Canton earlier in the season, Caissey now has scored a team best five times and was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. 

Getting Involved: Transfer student Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) has proven herself as a valuable addition to the Pioneers on offense. She is averaging well over a point per match in her last five matches with eight points on two goals and four assists, and is averaging exactly a point per match for the year because of that performance. She had a goal and two assists in the win over Elmira on Saturday.

High Five: Utica is now undefeated in five of its last six matches, with a 3-1-2 record over that span. In each of their wins or ties across that stretch, the Pioneers have held the opponent to a goal or less.

Allie's Alley: Across Utica's three game unbeaten streak, junior goalkeeper Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) has been uncommonly good in cementing the Pioneer effort in goal. She was named the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Wagner has allowed just one goal in her last three starts, which came in a 1-1 draw against Nazareth in conference play. She also has a solo clean sheet against Clarkson, and split time in another clean sheet performance alongside Emily Hill (Watertown, CT/Watertown) in Saturday's win against Elmira. Wagner stands fourth in the conference with an 86.3 percent save percentage, and also ranks in the top 100 nationally in that category. For the season, the Pioneers have allowed just 1.38 goals per match.

About Cazenovia: The Wildcats have gotten out to a roaring start under head coach Cory Christensen with a 7-1 overall record, and also stand in a tie for fourth in the North Eastern Athletic Conference with a 3-1 league record. They boast a prolific offense with 5.13 goals per match, which is tops in Division III at the moment. The nation's top scoring offense also features the country's top scorer as Michaela Breeze's fifteen goals set the national pace.

Up Next: The Pioneers will trek to Western New York on Saturday for an Empire 8 match against Houghton. The proceedings are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.