UTICA, NY – The Utica College field hockey team travels to Troy to face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG: Live video and stats will be provided for Tuesday's contest by RPI Athletic Communications.
WHERE WE SIT: The Pioneers are now 3-7, and 2-1 in the Empire 8 Conference. They have won three of their last five matches.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers dominated visiting Sage this past weekend with a shutout victory by a score of 4-0. The conference win moves Utica into fourth place in the Empire 8 conference. It was a defensive tussle until the third quarter when the Pioneers broke through three goals, and another in the fourth quarter to cap off the win. Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) had a goal and three assists, and Amanda Fitzgerald (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) scored the first goal of her college career. Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) recorded a shutout with zero saves.
LEADING THE WAY: Junior Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) continues to dominate the playing field after she recorded three assists and a goal against Sage. She is the present Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, an honor she earned for the first time this season on Monday. She now has three goals, and team highs with six assists and twelve points on the year. Junior Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads the Pioneers with five goals for the season so far, while teammate Madeline Krecidlo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is right behind her with four. Whitehouse and Krecidlo have two goals each in conference play.
OMNIPRESENT: In any game where the Pioneers have at least one goal this year, Utica has gotten at least one point from Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) or Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich).
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Senior Makenzie Stevens (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) is ranked second in defensive saves with six, one shy from the top spot in the Empire 8 conference. Whitehouse is ranked fourth in shots with 45, and ranked sixth in shots on goal with 26.
DEFENSIVE POWERHOUSE: The Pioneers defense was flawless on Saturday as they prevented Sage from recording at least one shot on goal. This marks the first shutout victory against Sage in program history, and the second straight win to open the all-time series against the upstart Gators.
THREES A CROWD: The Pioneers have recorded all three of their wins this season when scoring three or more goals. The Pioneers potted a quartet of goals twice this season, doing so against St. Lawrence and Sage. They also have a 3-0 shutout win over Washington and Jefferson to their name.
SCOUTING RPI: RPI is led by senior Charisse Stakutis with four goals, one assist and nine points on the year. Collectively, RPI has recorded at least one goal from six different players. As a team, the have a combined 90 total shots on goal.
HISTORY: RPI and Utica have met a total of 14 times, with seven wins each in the all-time series.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers will host Nazareth College on Saturday in a conference showdown at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.
