UTICA, NY - The Utica College football team had the best performance against defending conference champion Brockport of any conference team to play them this season, but that effort would stand just short of victory on Saturday. The Pioneers had their hosts in a two possession game in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Eagles kept their distance en route to a 41-14 win at Brockport's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.

Utica is now 3-4, and falls to 1-3 in the Empire 8 conference. Brockport wins a sixth straight game, and is now 6-1, 3-0 in the Empire 8 Conference.

The Pioneers became the first Empire 8 team to score points on the Golden Eagles this season, and are just the third team in seven weeks to score more than six points against a highly touted defense that ranked first in all of college football against the run entering Saturday's game. The Pioneers totaled 202 yards of offense while holding Brockport to 387.

The Pioneers split duties at quarterback in the game. Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa) got his second collegiate start, and his first since 2016 when he got the nod for Cortland. VanGalen completed three passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) came in for second half action and completed nine of seventeen passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Receivers Keegan Wright (Cicero, NY/Cicero North Syracuse) and Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) each had a touchdown reception. Wright had three catches for a team-leading 72 yards, and Miller snagged five passes for just over 50 yards in the conference matchup.

The Pioneer defense was chaired up by three season-high individual tackling efforts. Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) had a season high fourteen stops to set the pace, while Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) added 12, and defensive lineman Robbie Schempp (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) had nine. All three recorded at least one quarterback sack, with Schempp recording 1.5. Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) had two pass breakups.

On special teams, Mitch Carley (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) averaged 52.3 yards on three kickoffs. Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) punted four times at an average of 38.3 yards. He recorded his first miss on a field goal this season on a 42 yard attempt late in the fourth quarter, which would have been his second longest kick of the year and the third longest of his career. The Pioneers had 177 kick return yards. They conceded one solitary punt return yard for the first time this season.

Brockport running back Jala Coad rushed for 77 net yards and two touchdowns, while Alex West had six tackles and two sacks to lead their defense.

The Golden Eagles opened the game on a 20-0 run. They marched down the field on their opening series to set the table for a 32 yard field goal by Dustin Moyle, and Alex Benson scored Brockport's first touchdown of the day to give the hosts a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Two more scores extended the home lead even further. A second field goal by Moyle was converted from 36 yards, and Jala Coad added on a one yard touchdown run to spring open a 20-0 lead just past the midpoint of the second quarter.

However, the Pioneers would not be deterred from finding their way back into it. They turned to the deep ball to get the job done as Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa) launched a long pass to Keegan Wright (Cicero, NY/Cicero North Syracuse), who hauled it in for a 45 yard touchdown reception that got Utica on the board at 20-7. That score held until halftime.

Brockport had the lone score of the third quarter as Justin Morrison ran in a one yard touchdown with just over a minute left in the frame.

The Pioneers attempted to make their move from there in the fourth quarter, as Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) and Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) hooked up from five yards to cap off an eight play, 46 yard touchdown drive. The receiving touchdown sets a new career high for a single season for Miller as he snagged his seventh of the season to set the score at 27-14.

Brockport would not allow the Pioneers to get any closer the rest of the way. A 42 yard interception return touchdown with ten minutes left proved to be a difficult blow to overcome, and the Eagles struck again late on another rushing score by Coad as Brockport pulled away to a 42-14 win over Utica.

The Pioneers return to the road for another important Empire 8 matchup on Saturday. Utica will meet the Alfred University Saxons on November 2nd at 1 p.m. at Alfred's Yunevich Stadium.