Utica, NY - The Utica College men's soccer team is set for a road matchup against Purchase College on Monday night at 6 p.m.

Comeback Kings: Last time out, the Pioneers showcased an impressive 3-2 comeback victory over Elmira to advance to 7-2-2 on the season. Facing a 1-0 deficit coming out of the half, senior Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden) found the back of the net off a centering pass from junior Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) to even the game at one. Sophomore Jahren James (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) took the first lead of the game for the Pioneers 1:43 later, sneaking a goal in the top right corner on a free kick from 25 yards out. Playing from behind for the first time all afternoon, Elmira responded in the 83rd minute when Nick Provost scored off of a corner kick to even the score once again at two. Utica responded again five minutes later, when James notched his second goal of the game to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead that they would hold for the rest of the game.

Top Spot: Heading into Saturday's game against Elmira, the two teams were tied for second place in the Empire 8. With the win, the Pioneers advanced to 2-0-1 in conference play and took the top spot that was previously held by Nazareth.

Conference Leaders: Freshman Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) is currently tied for fifth in the league in goals with four, and also shares the No. 4 spot for assists in the league with Senior Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) with three thus far. Junior Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) sits one spot above Theze and Bakolovic with four assists on the year. Theze also is in the top 10 in total points as well with 11.

Chasing History: A win on Monday night would mark the first time since 2010 and only the second time in program history that Utica posted eight wins through the first 12 games of the season.

Favorable Matchup: This will mark only the second time these two teams have played each other in program history, as the sole matchup came in 2014 where the Pioneers won in convincing fashion by a score of 4-0.

Quiet Contributions: Outside of senior goalkeeper Randy Miksch (Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township), Hynes is the only Pioneer to log more than 900 minutes this year with 959.

Clean Sweep: The Pioneers swept Empire 8 accolades last week, with Miksch taking home Defensive Player of the Week honors while Theze was awarded Offensive Player of the Week. Over a three-game span, Miksch allowed only on goal en route to leading the Pioneers to two victories. Theze was also a key contributor in these wins as well, posting the lone goal against SUNY ESF on a penalty kick and then adding another goal and two assists in a 3-1 victory over Fisher on Saturday.

Scouting Purchase: The Panthers enter this contest with a 6-3-1 overall record, and they have won two of their last three heading into the UC match. Purchase has a very unique team blueprint, as it does not roster a single senior this season. However, the team has already matched its win total from last season when there were six seniors on the roster. Sophomore Ronaldo Osguera leads the Panthers offensively, leading the team in goals (4), assists (3) and total points 11.

Up Next: The Pioneers return home on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup against Berkeley College at 4 p.m.