Utica, NY - The Utica College men's soccer team is set to host the Utica College Invitational this weekend. This tournament will also showcase three other teams from Morrisville State, SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Cobleskill. The Pioneers are set to kick off the tournament against Morrisville State on Saturday at 11 a.m. Utica will finish the weekend against SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. The broadcast of Tuesday's match will also be on the Empire 8 apps available through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and AppleTV platforms. The apps make watching even easier for fans who have those devices connected to their television, and will also routinely carry Utica's away matches against Empire 8 opponents. The apps are available free of charge.

Last Time Out: UC notched its second win of the season last Sunday against SUNY Delhi by a score of 3-2. Syracuse transfer Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School) led the team offensively, dishing out two assists in the match. Freshman Connor McQuillan (Rochester, NY/Brighton) added one assist. The scoring was evenly distributed for Utica, as McQuillan, freshman Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International) and senior Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) all found the back of the net once to string together the Pioneers second three-goal game of the year.

Making History: The Pioneers have started the season off 2-0 for the first time since 2017, and they are looking to advance their record to 3-0 for the first time in program history.

Collecting Hardware: Senior Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) has been led the way for the Pioneers offensively, notching a team-best two goals thus far en route to being named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week in the first week of play. Marvin already evened his statline from last season, and he could break it this upcoming weekend if he gets into the scorebook with either a goal or assist.

Lockdown Defense: The defensive unit has also been clicking to start off its 2019 campaign, only allowing 8.5 shots per game. The limited scoring opportunities have been a benefit to goalkeeper Randy Miksch (Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township), who has needed to make just four saves so far this season.

The New Guys: Utica has incorporated four newcomers into its starting eleven so far this season. Jhonny Theze (Bronx, NY/Claremont International), Adnan Bakalovic (Utica, NY/Proctor High School), Connor McQuillan (Rochester, NY/Brighton), and Nick Webster (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) have all been given a starting role during the opening weekend of play.

I Am Iron Man: Five field players on the squad did not leave the pitch during the run of play this weekend. Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), Daniel Varsames (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs), Nick Webster (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma), Colin McCarthy (Vestal, NY/Vestal), and Patrick Hynes (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) all played 180 minutes in the first two matches. 

Scouting Morrisville: Morrisville is still seeking their first win of the season. The Mustangs fell to Oswego by a score of 1-0 in the season opener, and lost to Ithaca College 5-0 last Wednesday. Both matches took place at home. The last time these two teams matched up came in 2018, where senior Thomas Muller (Camillus, NY/Bishop Ludden) notched a decisive, tie-breaking goal in the 76th minute to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead that they would hold onto until the end of the match. 

Scouting Cobleskill: SUNY Cobleskill currently sits at 1-1 this season. The Tigers' first win of the year came in their season opener against Hunter College, where they won by a score of 3-1. The Tigers are coming into the weekend off a 2-1 loss to Lehman College last Sunday. Senior Mame Amar has spearheaded the Tigers offensive attack thus far, accumulating a team-best two goals. The last time UC matched up with SUNY Cobleskill, it was a wild match that took place exactly a year to the day of Sunday's scheduled match. The Pioneers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. The Tigers bounced back with three unanswered goals to even the score, but the Pioneers got the match winner in overtime from Alex Purcell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) to earn a 4-3 win.

History: Both matchups this weekend are not new ones for Utica. The Piioneers have faced each team at least once in program history. UC holds the advantage against SUNY Cobleskill, winning all three matches they've played against them dating all they back to 2010. The matchup with Morrisville State is a little bit different, as the Pioneers have a 2-3 all-time record against them.

On The Horizon: After this weekend, the Pioneers are scheduled to be off the competition pitch until September 14. After a few days on the training ground, the Pioneers will host Clarkson University in a Saturday night match at 6 p.m.