UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's soccer team is set to travel to St. John Fisher University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday before hosting Elmira College at 1 p.m. on Saturday for a pair of crucial Empire 8 contests.
Follow Along: Fisher will provide live video on Wednesday through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/ as well as live stats via
https://sjfathletics.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary. For those unable to attend Saturday's game at Pioneer Field, live video and stats will be provided through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Last Time Out: In what was a physical match by both teams, the Utica University women's soccer team and the Nazareth Golden Flyers finished Saturday afternoon's meeting with a scoreless draw. The Pioneers were able to create most of the scoring opportunities in the first half with six shot attempts, six of which on goal.
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) was responsible for four of Utica's six looks on goal. The teams entered halftime with the Pioneers having a 9-7 edge in shots as well as 6-1 on goal. Nazareth came out firing in the second half as the team recorded the first six shots of the new frame within the first seven minutes. From there, the sides would each have nine scoring looks including the final shot belonging to Nazareth in the 88th minute that was saved right near the goal line by
Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley). Connolly finished with 10 saves, the most she has recorded since snagging 11 at Union on September 3. Hernandez led the team with six shots, all of which on goal, while
Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville ) took three shots and two on goal.
Anna Strong: This past year, the women's soccer program lost a valuable member of its team, Team IMPACT teammate, Arianna "Anna" LaBella. Anna was connected with the Pioneers through Team IMPACT, which is a non-profit group charged with improving the quality of life for children facing life threatening illnesses. LaBella had been a member of the Utica women's soccer team since March of 2020, but was formally introduced as a team member at a press conference in fall 2021. Anna was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma bone cancer in July of 2019. After almost a year of chemo and radiation, she became cancer free on June 6th of 2020. On February 4th of 2021 Anna had relapsed. Anna and the team continued to build their relationship and support each other through this time with zoom calls, messaging, and social media. Unfortunately, Anna passed away on August 2, 2022 in the arms of her loving mom, Jessica, and dad, Robert. As the Pioneers have done all season, they will be wearing custom blue and yellow warmup shirts in support of Anna and those fighting Ewing's Sarcoma. The team and LaBella family ask all those in attendance on Saturday to join them in wearing yellow to honor the life of Anna.
Where we Stand: The Pioneers are currently seventh in the Empire 8 standings and 1-1-1 in conference play. The team is tied for the Empire 8 lead with 22 goals this season, and leads the Empire 8 in averaging 2 goals per game. The offense continues to be a powerhouse as they lead the Empire 8 with 183 shots this season and 16.64 shots a game. The team also has a three-assist lead in the Empire 8 as its facilitation has been a major reason for the team's success.
All Gas: The offense has continued to shine and produce goals as the top-ranked attack in the conference.
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) leads the Empire 8 with six goals while
Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville ) is tied for third in the E8 with four goals this season and has been another focal point for the offense. The team also features three assist leaders in the top-10 of the Empire 8 as
Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent),
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic), and
Julianna Beaulieu (Chicopee,MA/Chicopee Comprehensive) are all premier facilitators. Hernandez has a whopping 16 points this season and a massive five point lead over second place.
Connolly in the Clutch: Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) was named Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. Connolly had a fantastic week as she allowed zero goals and recorded 10 saves over the course of the week against MCLA and Nazareth College. Her best game came against Nazareth on Saturday in which she finished with 10 saves, the most she has recorded since snagging 11 at Union on September 3. The Warwick native kept the game tied with a fantastic goal-line save in the 88th minute. Connolly's great game kept Nazareth off the board and helped the Pioneers earn a conference draw. On the season she has 45 saves, a .776 save percentage, and two shutouts.
About Fisher: The Cardinals are 5-2-3 this season and 3-0 in Empire 8 play which has them in first place. In its last match on Sunday, the team was able to beat Russell Sage 1-0 and remain undefeated in conference play. The Fisher attack is extremely balanced as it has 12 players with at least one goal, and a whopping 16 players have recorded a point this season. In net, Avery Byrnes has seen the majority of the playing time and sports 39 saves this season and a .813 save percentage.
Scouting Elmira: The Soaring Eagles are 5-6-1 this season and have struggled in conference play sporting a 0-3-1 record. On Saturday, Elmira recorded its first Empire 8 point as the team tied with Alfred 0-0. The Saxons are led by Piper Andrews who is second in the Empire 8 with five goals. Rachel Bortnick has three goals and three assists which is tied for third in the Empire 8. In net, Nevaeh Winston has 68 saves this season and a .756 save percentage over the course of her twelve games.
Up Next: The team will remain home to host Keuka College at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19 from Pioneer Field.
