UTICA, NY – The fifth-seeded Utica College women's soccer team will open the Empire 8 Conference Tournament as they travel to fourth-seeded Hartwick College on Tuesday, November 2 at 7 p.m.
 
How to Watch: Live stream and live stats will be provided for Tuesday's game by following https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hartwick/. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off a playoff-clinching 1-0 victory over Hartwick on Saturday. Utica came out of the gates swinging claiming the game winning goal just 5:23 in the game off the foot of Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) from the Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) pass. From there, it was Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and the Pioneers defense who finished the Hawks in what was Connolly's fourth shutout on the season where she also made five saves.
 
Return of Ro: Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) took the field for the first time since October 23 against Sage and didn't skip a beat. With her goal in the opening six minutes of the game, Hernandez has totaled nine goals on the season which leads the Pioneers and is third in the conference. Also, with her game winning goal over Hartwick, she now stands first in the conference with three on the season. Entering tournament play, the return of Ro will provide the Pioneers with some much-wanted offense.
 
She's Been Cooking: Sydney Cook (Waterville, NY/Waterville) finished the season second on the team with 17 points on six goals and five assists. Her 17 points and five assists are good enough for the sixth most in the conference while her six goals tie her for seventh in the E8. Cook is one of the members still on the roster from the 2019 championship team that also ran the table as an underdog and will be looked upon to help Utica make a run at title number two.
 
Reinforcements: While Hernandez and Cook have led the offense all season, Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) and Kaela Mochak (Westfield, MA/Westfield) have been there to take some weight off of their shoulders. Kaminski, who assisted on the game-winner on Saturday, is third on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists. Mochak is right behind her with eight points on three goals and two assists including two game-winning goals.
 
Strike Early, Strike Often: Entering the tournament, the Pioneers are one of the premiere offensive teams in the Empire 8. Utica, as the number five seed, have been among the top-three in the E8 with shots and points, averaging 8.13 shots per game and 4.13 points per game. The Pioneers will look to continue that trend into the postseason as they are 6-1 this season when they put points on the board first.
 
Championship DNA: With this upcoming game, the Pioneers have made their fourth consecutive Empire 8 conference tournament. With that streak continued, UC now sets its sight on making it to its fourth straight E8 conference championship game. With only six of their players not having competed in the championship games, Utica's roster has plenty of playoff experience to help guide the team through the playoffs as an underdog yet again.
 
Meeting History: These two teams recently faced off on October 30 where UC pulled off a clutch 1-0 victory to clinch a spot in the E8 Conference Tournament. Utica is currently on a two-game winning streak over Hartwick and winners in four of their last five matches. This will be the third time the teams have met in the conference tournament in the last four seasons. This includes the 2019 championship game where the Pioneers claimed their first Empire 8 conference title with a 1-0 win over Hartwick.
 
Scouting the Hawks: Entering the playoff match, the Hawks come in as the number four seed with their 6-5-4 (4-2-2 E8) record. They find themselves as the fourth highest scoring team in the E8 with 14 different players finding the back of the net on the season. Gianna Cacciola will look to will the Hawks past UC with her team high 14 points including six assists which places her fourth in the E8.

Up Next: With a win, UC would travel to top-seeded Nazareth College for the semifinals at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 4. A loss would end the Pioneers season.