UTICA, NY – The Utica College field hockey team will travel to Oneonta to face the Hartwick Hawks in a conference matchup on Saturday. The match pits the two teams tied for second in the conference against one another, with the winner nabbing sole possession of second place coming out of the weekend. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers are 6-9 overall, and is 4-1 in the Empire 8 conference with two conference matches remaining. A win on Saturday would secure Utica's spot in the conference tournament, and the team's first trip back to that tournament since a 2017 run to the title game. A win on Saturday puts the team at 5-1 in conference play and would firmly cement the Pioneers into the postseason.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers fell short to Hamilton on Wednesday as the Continentals won by a final score of 4-0. Maggie Reville and Emlyn Harris combined for the shutout for Hamilton while Utica sophomore goalie Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) recorded seven saves in the match.
LEADING THE PACK: Junior Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) continues to lead the offense with six goals, seven assists and 71 shots. Junior Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has a team-high eight goals on the year while teammate Madeline Krecidlo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is right behind her with five. Whitehouse has scored four goals in conference play, while Scaccia and Krecidlo have two apiece.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Senior Makenzie Stevens (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) leads the Empire 8 Conference in defensive saves with eight. She has now surpassed Jordan Noga to hold the record at UC for most defensive saves in a single season. Utica's Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) is ranked third in shots with 71, and ranked fourth in shots on goal with 43. Teammate Josie Sgarlata (Canastota, NY/Canastota) is ranked seventh in shots with 43. Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is ranked eighth is goals with eight.
DEFENSIVE POWERHOUSE: The Pioneers defense is led by goalie Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury), who is ranked second in the conference in saves per game with an average of 8.87.
HELPING OUT: Eight players now have scored at least one goal this season for the Pioneers. Seven players have recorded at least one assist. The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 11-6 in conference play.
SCOUTING HARTWICK: Hartwick is 10-5 this season. Sydney Gagnon leads the Hawks with 12 goals, three assists and 27 points. Goalie Allyson Osborne has recorded 102 saves so far this season. Katie Meuse leads the team in assists with seven.
AGAINST HARTWICK: The Pioneers have split the all-time series evenly with the Hawks. They have won nine, and lost nine entering the nineteenth meeting. Utica had a seven-game winning streak against Hartwick dating from 2010-2016.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Pioneers will travel to Saratoga Springs on Wednesday to face Skidmore College in a non-conference matchup. Game time is set to begin at 4 p.m.
