UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team will host the Hartwick Hawks in a matchup between Empire 8 members that will count as a non-conference game. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers are 9-6-2, and 2-3-1 in the Empire 8 Conference. The team has lost its last four matches. They currently sit in third place with seven points, one ahead of Sage, St. John Fisher, and Alfred. Utica has played all of its conference games and are now reliant on the results of other matches for postseason qualification. The top four sides on the standings table will advance to the Empire 8 tournament. The Pioneers need Sage to lose at Houghton and the St. John Fisher vs. Alfred to end in a tie or in regulation to advance. A Sage tie with the Fisher/Alfred game ending in regulation would take the Pioneers out of the postseason.
SENIOR DAY: Saturday is Senior Day for the Pioneers. Utica College would like to thank Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School), Andrew Ruyack (Chester, NY/Monroe Woodbury), Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), Jonathan Side (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh), Randy Malek (Tampa, FL/Alonso), Ethan Thomas (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) and Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden) for their commitment to the game of soccer and the program at Utica College.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers lost a hard-fought battle against Alfred University by a final of 2-1. Utica's Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) netted his second goal of the season on an assist from freshman Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) early in the second half, but it was not enough to hold on as the Saxons were able to string along two goals and win the match. Sophomore Chris Rosato (Roxbury, CT/Nonnewaug) made his first career start at the keeper position and recorded five saves.
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Jhonny Theze's (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) assist on Saturday was his 19th point of the season, moving him to fourth place in the league, but has the most points as a freshman in the E8.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Apart from Theze, senior Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) is ranked fifth in the Empire 8 Conference in assists (five) and is ranked ninth in the conference in points (nine), despite missing a large portion of the season due to injury. Keeper Randy Miksch (Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township) is ranked third in the conference in saves with 67.
KEY COMPONENTS: This Pioneer's offense remains solid as 11 players now have recorded at least one goal, while 10 players have recorded at least one assist.
SCOUTING HARTWICK: The Hawks' offense is led by Troy Amegashie with eight goals and 16 points on the year. Joey Bertone leads the team in assists with four. Keeper Britt Reisman has recorded 44 saves so far with 657 save percentage. Hartwick is not eligible for the postseason in 2019 as they continue to transition from Division I to Division lll men's soccer. They will be fully eligible in 2020. This is the first ever meeting between Utica and Hartwick in men's soccer.
UP NEXT: The Pioneers will await their Empire 8 Conference tournament fate, and will be able to see the results unfold following their match as the other contests in the conference take place later in the afternoon.
