Utica, NY - The Utica College men's soccer team returns home this Tuesday for a non-conference matchup against the Hobart Statesmen at 7 p.m.

Last Time Out:  The Pioneers fell to the Sage Gators by a score of 4-2 on Saturday evening to drop to 9-4-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in the Empire 8. The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead on an Ethan Thomas (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) feed to senior Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) to take a 1-0 advantage in the first minute of the game. Sage then answered with three consecutive goals from Rafael Holguin, Jeaneste Pierre and Kevin Winglosky to take a convincing 3-1 lead. Freshman Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) continued his impressive freshman campaign with his seventh goal of the year on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute of this contest, but Sage responded six minutes later with a goal of its own to take a 4-2 lead that it would hold for the duration.

Chasing First: The Pioneers currently boast an impressive 9-4-2 overall record and are 2-2-1 in the Empire 8, which leaves them tied for second overall with Elmira. The Nazareth Golden Flyers hold the top spot in conference with a perfect 3-0-1 E8 record, three points more than the second-placed Utica and Elmira.

Historic Start: UC made history two weeks ago with a 1-0 win over Purchase, notching eight wins in the first 12 games for the first time since 2010 and only the second time in program history. The win over Berkeley on the following Wednesday marked the best start to a season in program history, as the Pioneers won nine of their first 13 games for the first time ever.

Conference Leaders: Freshman Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) is currently tied for third in the league in goals with seven, and he also shares the No. 6 spot for assists with junior Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) with four each thus far. Senior Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) sits one spot ahead of Theze and Hynes with five assists. Theze also has the third-most points in the E8 as well with 18, making him the only Pioneer to appear in the top 10 of this statistical category.

High Octane Offense: The Pioneers have the second highest-ranked offense in the league, as they have tabbed 72 points on 25 goals and 22 assists this season.

The Clutch Gene: Four Pioneers rank in the top 10 of the E8 in game-winning goals this season: Theze is tied for first with three, and senior Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) is right behind him with two. Hynes and senior Andrew Ruyack (Chester, NY/Monroe Woodbury) have also notched one as well.

Short History: Utica and Hobart have split the last two matchups, as the Pioneers won in 2017 by a score of 1-0 and the Statesmen bounced back with a win of their own last season, 3-2.

Time Management:  Hynes currently leads the team in minutes played with 1211, while junior Daniel Varsames (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs) and freshman Nick Webster (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) sit right behind him with 1193 and 1171 minutes, respectively.

Scouting Hobart: The Statesmen sport an impressive 10-4-1 overall record and are 4-2-1 in conference. Senior Nate Cary has led Hobart on the offensive end, totaling a team-best 12 points on five goals and two assists. Junior Nate Critchlow has added seven points for the Statesmen on two goals and a team-high three assists.

Up Next: The Pioneers head back on the road this Saturday for a conference matchup against the Alfred Saxons at 5 p.m. The team will then return home for senior night on Saturday, November 2, as it will host the Hartwick Hawks for the final regular season match of the year.