UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey is set for a pair of Empire 8 contests this week. The team will host the Hartwick College Hawks at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 12 before traveling to Nazareth College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 15. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend Wednesday's home game at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium can keep up with live video and/or stats through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. On Saturday, Nazareth will also provide live video and stats via https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/. 
 
Last Time Out:  Backed by Alyssa Pisano's (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) hat trick and the third time this season in which the team held its opposition without a shot, the Utica University field hockey team blanked the Keuka College Wolves 5-0 on Saturday night. Utica fired off three of its four first quarter shots within the first six minutes of the frame however, the sides finished the first 15 minutes even at 0-0. Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) wasted little time getting the Pioneers on the board in the second quarter with a goal 57 seconds in, her second of the season, on an assist by Pisano. With under two minutes until halftime, Pisano found the back of the cage for her first tally of the night for her sixth goal of the year and a 2-0 edge at the break. The Pioneers increased offensive intensity in the second half, starting with a 39th minute goal by Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) before the team went off for an 11-shot fourth quarter. There, Pisano connected for goals two and three on the night in the 56th and 59th minutes for her second hat trick of 2022 and the shutout win. Pisano led the team with seven points on three goals and an assist. Mix and Jedreicich both had three points on a goal and assist each. The trio also combined for 14 of Utica's 18 shots on goal. The Pioneers would also finish the night with a 16-2 advantage on penalty corners. 
 
Where we Stand: The Pioneers enter the week 4-6 overall and at 3-1 in league play sit third in the conference standings. The team currently owns the fifth-highest scoring offense in the E8 averaging 2.5 goals per game while its 0.30 scoring margin ranks fourth thanks to its third-ranked scoring defense (2.3 goals allowed per game). Of Utica's five conference games remaining, Hartwick is the only team that is currently ahead of the Pioneers in the Empire 8 Conference standings. The other four teams (Nazareth, Russell Sage, Medaille and St. John Fisher) have an overall combined record of 9-36 as well as a combined mark of 7-12 in league action. 
 
Heat Check: Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) and Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) are always a threat to find the back of the cage but have done so more frequently now than earlier this season. Pisano, who just earned her second Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week honor, and Mix share the team lead with one another with eight goals and 19 points. For Pisano, she has been red-hot over her last five outings with 16 points after recording three in her first five games of the year. In her own right, Mix owns a five-game point streak totaling 14 in that span after beginning the season with five points in five games. 
 
Don't Test Her: Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) earned Eastern College Athletic Conference North Defensive Player of the Month for September and has continued to prove why. The junior continues to be a workhorse for the Pioneers as she and goalie Lyla Cushman (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) are the only two members of the team to have played each of the 600 minutes recorded. The defender is a key piece to Utica's third-ranked scoring defense in the Empire 8 while she still finds herself third in NCAA Division III with nine defensive saves this season. That mark has already tied a single season program record as Makenzie Stevens also had nine in 2019. 
 
About Hartwick: The Hawks will travel to Utica with a 6-4 overall record and are first in the Empire 8 standings with a 5-0 mark while having out-scored E8 opponents 27-1 over its last four games. Overall, Hartwick is first in the conference averaging 4.5 goals per game, allowing 1.80 goals per game as well as with a 2.70 scoring margin. Sydney Gagnon has scored nine goals in nine games played this season while teammate Lex Matarazzo also ranks within the top-10 with seven goals to her credit. On defense, goalkeeper Madison Maddocks is currently second in the conference with a 2.042 goals against average as well as with a .729 save percentage. Hartwick currently leads the all-time series 12-11 however, Utica took the most recent meeting between the teams with a 2-1 win in the 2021 Empire 8 Conference Semifinals. 
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers enter the week 2-11 overall, 2-3 in Empire 8 play, half of a game out of the sixth and final potential playoff spot, and will take on Oswego State on Tuesday prior to hosting Utica on Saturday. Over 13 games, Nazareth is the seventh-highest scoring team in the E8 with .846 goals per game while allowing the fifth-most goals per game in the league at four. With that, the team has averaged just under five shots on goal per outing. Grace Wasileski and Avery Tanton share the team lead in goals with three each while goalkeeper Mackenzie Halliday leads the E8 with a .782 save percentage. All-time, Utica has won 17 of 22 meetings between the programs including a 5-1 win last season. 

Up Next: Utica will remain on the road as the team travels to the University at Albany on Wednesday, October 19 to take on Russell Sage College. Game time is set for 6 p.m.