UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's soccer team hits the middle of its three-game homestand when it resumes Empire 8 play this Saturday. The team will host conference opponent Elmira College at 12 p.m.
How to Watch: Live stream and live stats will be provided for Saturday's game against Elmira College. They can be found by following https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Well-Rested: The Pioneers resume action after not playing a game since September 22 against SUNY Poly. Despite falling to the Wildcats 1-0, the Pioneers were able to outshoot the Wildcats, 16-7. This shot output was thanks in part to senior forward Ramazani Juma's (Utica, NY/Proctor) two shots on goal in just 34 minutes of play. Jacob Sherline (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Sory Konate (Harlem, NY/Forsyth Satellite Academy) and Colin Mccarthy also put one shot on goal each.
Xidias Saves the Day: Goalkeeper Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) has continued to take the Empire 8 by storm through eight games this season. Heading into Saturday, Xidias is third in the Empire 8 with his 77.5 percent save percentage. He's also posted 1.083 goals against average to anchor the Utica defense.
Shoot Your Shot: The Pioneers come into this matchup with the Empire 8's leading shooter. Juma continues to have stellar offensive output with 3.38 shots per game for a total of 27 on the season. Coming into the game, he currently accounts for 25 percent of the team's shot output.
The Brady Bunch: Through the first seven games this season forward Brady Maloney (Ellisburg, NY/Bellville Henderson) and midfielder Brady Barnard (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) currently lead the Pioneers with three points apiece. Maloney is currently tied for second in shots taken this season for the Pioneers with 11, while Barnard's goal was the game winner against SUNY Potsdam.
Meeting History: This will be the 23rd matchup between the two schools. In the past two meetings, both teams have taken one each with one goal being the difference in both matchups. Both games were played at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium with Utica coming away with a 3-2 win in 2019 and Elmira answering back with a 1-0 win last season.
Scouting the Soaring Eagles: The Soaring Eagles come into the game with a 5-4 record (1-1 E8) after falling in their last two matches against Morrisville State and Houghton College. Elmira has been offensively gifted as it is second in the E8 in points per game with 5.67. Elmira is one of two teams in the E8 to average over two goals per game with Gavin Wise at the forefront with a total of six goals on the season.
Up Next: UC will have another seven-day break as its almost three-week homestand ends against Nazareth College on Saturday, October 9 at noon.
