Utica, NY- The Utica College women's soccer team is set to take on Houghton College on Tuesday in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament.  The match will kick off at 5 p.m. at Houghton's Burke Field.
 
Live Coverage: While the Pioneers are on the road live coverage of the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament will be provided by the Houghton Athletics Communications Department. Live stats and video are available at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/houghton/?path=general
 
Postseason History: This marks Utica's third straight trip to the Empire 8 Tournament and fourth overall. Last year the Pioneers captured their first ever conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. 
 
Last Time Out: Utica wrapped up the regular season last Thursday with a tie against St. John Fisher College.  Fisher took the lead 19:17 into the contest, but a timely goal by Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) in the 80^th minute knotted the score at 1-1.  Despite a few good looks in overtime, UC was not able to net the equalizer and the game ended in a tie. Jenna Keeman (Douglas, MA/Douglas) had an assist for Utica and freshman Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) made 10 saves in net. 
 
Team Leaders: UC has had three stand out players this season that have contributed a lot to the team's success. Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) has had a breakout season as she has scored three goals in five games and has one assist. Kaminski is currently fifth in the E8 with 1.40 points per game. 
Senior midfielder Kierra Caissey (Gardner, MA/Gardner) has also contributed three goals for her team bringing her to a career total of 20. Junior attacking midfielder Hillaria Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) has been the supplier of opportunities this season. She has one goal to her credit and has assisted on three others.
 
In Net: Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) has showcased her abilities despite the condensed season.  Connolly leads the conference in saves (40) and saves per game (10).  She is also second in the E8 with a .851 save percentage. 
 
History With Houghton: Utica is 2-5-1 all-time against the Highlanders, but the Pioneers have had the upper hand recently. In 2018, Utica came away a 3-2 victory on the road and in 2019 stole the show with a 3-0 win at home.  UC and Houghton were not able to meet during the regular season this year because of a canceled game due to COVID protocol earlier in the season. 
 
About Houghton: The Highlanders ended the regular season with a 3-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in conference play.  Houghton is riding the highs of a three-game winning streak, including a big 2-1 win over Russell Sage on the final day of the regular season.  Senior Kealy DeForest leads the team with four goals on the year.  Sophomore Megan Merrifield has compiled a .733 save percentage in five matches this season.
 
Tourney Tracker: Four teams will meet in the first round of this year's E8 Tournament.  The other first round match up pits St. John Fisher against Alfred University.  The winner of the Houghton-Utica game will face top seeded Nazareth College on Thursday, while the Fisher-Alfred winner will take on Russell Sage.