UTICA, NY - The 2019 Empire 8 Champion Utica College women's soccer team begins its Spring 2021 season on Sunday, March 14 as they hit the road to take on the Alfred University Saxons. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

2019 Recap: The last time the Pioneers saw game action was on the national stage. Their last match was a 3-0 loss to eventual national runner-up William Smith in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA tournament. Prior to their national defeat, the Pioneers won their first ever conference title. They did so by way of a 1-0 win over top-seeded St. John Fisher in the semifinals, and then another 1-0 victory over Hartwick in the conference championship match to claim the E8 crown. The Pioneers finished a historic season with a 12-6-1 (3-3-1) record, and their 12 wins also tied the program's single-season record. The team was 12-6-0 in the 2005 season.  

 

So Long, Old Friends: Allison Wagner (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) who was the 2019 Empire 8 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland), the 2019 E8 leader in goals, points and shots on goal, are two of the key members from the conference championship team who will not be returning this season. Along with her conference leading stats, Blumenstock was also the recipient of the 2019 E8 Offensive Player of the Year award along with being named to the Empire 8 First Team. Also not returning are Kendrah Stewart (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) and Lauren MacDonald (Poughquag, NY/Arlington), who were the other two seniors that helped lift UC to its 2019 E8 title. 

 

New Kids on the Block: The Pioneers will welcome seven first year players to a roster that includes 22 returners. Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), Kiersten Girard (St. Albert, Alberta/Bellerose Composite), Gabriela Daumont (Latham, NY/Shaker), Kylee Rickard (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie), Kaela Mochak (Westfield, MA/Westfield), Mikayla Kelley (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa) and Samantha Buley (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) will all look to help guide the Pioneers to a second consecutive E8 title while also striving to get their own taste of a conference title. Hillaria Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) joins the Pioneers as a transfer from SUNY Cortland. In 2019, Hernandez finished second on the Red Dragons with 19 points (nine goals, one assist), and was a second team All-SUNYAC selection.  Aliah Decker (Waterville, NY/Waterville) comes to UC from just down the road at Mohawk Valley Community College, where she enjoyed two seasons as a Hawk. She had five assists in her second year of NJCAA soccer. 

 

A Big Piece of the Puzzle: Freshman F/M Kaela Mochak (Westfield, MA/Westfield) comes to UC with plenty of accolades under her belt already. As a three year captain at Westfield High School, the Massachusetts native was a three time First Team All Western Mass. selection, she was selected for the Western Mass. senior all star game, while also having earned the MIAA Student Athlete Award. Mochak will now be striving to add collegiate awards and championships to her resume. 

 

"C" is for Cook & Caissey: In all, the Pioneers will see 20 of its players from the 2019 team return for this condensed spring season. With the loss of the team leader in goals, Blumenstock, UC will look to lean on Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) and Sydney Cook (Waterville, NY/Waterville) to handle the scoring load. Caissey finished second behind Blumenstock on the team with seven goals, while Cook finished behind them with three goals. Caissey was also named to the 2019 Empire 8 First Team. Cook flashed her ability to find open teammates as she finished the 2019 campaign with five assists. Eliza Ericson (Beacon, NY/Beacon) also contributed five assists, and Cook and Ericson were tied for second in the E8 in assists. 

 

Your Time to Shine: Replacing a four-year starter of Wagner's caliber in the net won't be easy. However, Emily Hill (Watertown, CT/Watertown) has two years of experience that has prepared her to take the reins. In two seasons with UC, Hill owns a 4-0 record while recording 19 saves and allowing seven goals in her 500-plus minutes played. She finished 2019 with a 1-0 record with seven saves while not allowing a goal in nearly 108 minutes played. Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) will look to battle Hill for the right to start in net. The first year goalkeeper recorded 11 shutouts in her senior year at Warwick Valley and was a two time Section 9 finalist while there. 

 

Senior Defense: Last season the Pioneers defense gave up 1.15 goals per game which helped land the team third in the E8 with a .75 scoring margin. While the number may not show it, Summer Gagnon (Manchester, NH/Manchester), Emma Workman (Salt Lake City, UT/East) and Amanda Thut (Carmel, NY/Carmel) were the stone wall trio that led the defense. Gagnon started all 19 games she appeared in while Workman and Thut also showed their durability by starting all 18 games they appeared in. The three seniors will look to build off of their 2019 performance with an even better one in 2020-21. 

 

A Glance at Alfred: The Saxons finished the 2019 season 8-7-5 (2-3-2 E8) and just missed the conference tournament. They had a well balanced offense last season, as 12 different players found the back of the net. However, none did so more than Natalie O'Brien as she finished second in the E8 with 11 goals. While O'Brien will not be returning this season, Alfred will look to lean on Karah Landries and Amanda Guariglia to fill the void in the offense left by O'Brien. The pair finished second on the team with five goals each in 2019. Hannah Fuller returns for year two in goal for the Saxons as she compiled a 6-2-1 record in her first season which included 48 saves and 17 goals allowed in her 18 games played, and started. Her .957 Goals against average placed her third in the E8.  

Looking Ahead: Following their game on Sunday at Alfred, the Pioneers will hit I-90 eastbound to Albany, NY as they square off against Russell Sage College on March 17th at 5 p.m. UC will play its home opener at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on March 21st against Nazareth College.