Utica, NY - The Utica College field hockey team is set to start its four-game road trip in an Empire 8 conference matchup against Elmira on Saturday at 12 p.m.

Just Short: SUNY Geneseo snapped UC's three-game winning streak on Wednesday night, but the Pioneers were right on the brink of upsetting the 12-2 knights in comeback fashion. Facing a 2-0 deficit heading into the third quarter, Utica responded with a goal from junior Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) to cut the margin to 2-1. The Pioneers made a roaring comeback right out of the half, with goals from junior Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) and sophomore Madeline Krecidlo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) only two minutes separated to take their first lead of the game, 3-2. However, this was not enough as the Knights notched the two final goals to secure the victory by a 4-3 decision.

Coming In Hot: The Pioneers notched an impressive 3-2 overtime victory over Empire 8 opponent Nazareth College on Saturday night by a score of 3-2. UC dominated possession early on, but was unable to record a single goal and faced a 1-0 deficit heading into halftime. Utica was finally able to get on the board at 41:20 when senior Ricki Haab (Stowe, VT/Stowe) buried a rebound goal for her third of the year. Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was credited with an assist on the equalizer. Nazaraeth took the lead once again in the 50th minute, but Whitehouse knocked in a rebound goal off her own shot with under two minutes left to play to force overtime. Whitehouse added one more goal in overtime to secure the win for UC on a feed from sophomore Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro). This advanced the Pioneers to 5-7 on the season and 3-1 in the conference.

Riding Momentum: After dropping the first five games of the season, the Pioneers have turned things around with five wins in their last eight matches. They also tabbed a three-game winning streak before falling to SUNY Geneseo on Wednesday night.

Chasing First: Utica sits in a two-way tie for second place in the Empire 8 with Washington & Jefferson. Both teams have a 3-1 record in the E8 and sit right behind the first-placed St. John Fisher, which has a perfect 3-0 record in conference. Elmira, on the other hand, sits at the bottom of the conference with an 0-3 conference record.

Catching Fire: Whitehouse leads the team with 19 points on six goals and seven assists this season. The 2018 second-team Empire 8 selection is the only Pioneer to record a point in nine of the team's 13 games. She has also posted an impressive 12 points over her last four matches en route to being named the E8 Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row.

Scaccia's Offense: Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is having a breakout year, as she currently has the second-most points this season with 17 on seven goals and three assists. This marks a historic season for Scaccia, as she has  broken her single-season point and goal total.
 
Chamberlain's Net: Sophomore goalie Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) remains atop the Empire 8 leader board in both saves (125) and saves per game (9.62). 

Defensive Specialists: Outside of Chamberlain, who has played all 800 minutes for the Pioneers this season, senior Makenzie Stevens (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) leads the team in minutes played with 793. Stevens, along with junior Katherine LeRoy (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), have served as the nucleus of the Pioneer defense all season. Stevens is also ranked second in the Empire 8 in defensive saves with seven, which leaves her ties for first on the College's single-season record list.

Scouting Elmira: The Eagles sport an even 6-6 record so far in 2019 and are 0-3 in the Empire 8. Junior Jamie Kempf leads this team offensively with a team-best 18 points on eight goals and two assists. Junior Kelsie Aloi sits right behind Kempf with 16 points on seven goals and two assists.

Dominating History: The Pioneers hold a convincing advantage against the Eagles with a 13-6 all-time record against them. UC has also won the last six matchups dating all the way back to 2013.

Up Next: The Pioneers continue their road trip with a matchup against the Hamilton Continentals on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.