UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's soccer team will kick off its final regular season week on the road against Russell Sage at 4 p.m. The team will then come back to Pioneer Field where it will face off against Hartwick College at 3 p.m. in the regular season finale.
Follow Along: Russell Sage will provide live video and stats at
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sageathletics/ for the game Wednesday against the Pioneers. Those who cannot attend the regular season finale on Saturday at Pioneer Field can follow along with live video and/or stats at
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Last Time Out: On Saturday the Pioneers secured their third conference win after defeating Houghton University on the road in a 3-0 shutout victory. The Pioneers first goal was netted by
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) which gave the Pioneers the 1-0 upper hand that stood until halftime. During the second half the Pioneers were electric right out of the gate. Utica's second goal came from
Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent), her second of the season, that came off of an assist from
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic), her fifth of the year.
Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville ) netted the third goal of the game for the Pioneers, her sixth, that put the nail in the coffin for a shutout performance. With Hernandez's goal on Saturday she now is tied eighth all-time for goals by a Pioneer with 19.
Where We Stand: The Pioneers are currently in fifth place in the Empire 8 standings behind St. John Fisher University, Nazareth College, Hartwick, and Alfred University. The Pioneer's last two games come against conference foes (Sage and Hartwick) and are crucial games for the team who is looking to make it into its fifth Empire 8 Conference Tournament in a row. Utica currently has 12 points in the standings and will clinch a postseason bid with at least one win over its last two games or if Houghton ties or loses one of its last two games. The Pioneers can finish as high as first in the standings with some help from other teams or as low as seventh.
Leading the Way: As the season winds down the Pioneers still continue to impress offensively.
Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) is now tied eighth all-time for goals with 19 and
Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) looks to tack on more assists to single herself out at sixth all-time needing just one more. The team boasts three players inside the top-10 in the league in goals with Hernandez and
Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville ) first and second and
Julianna Beaulieu (Chicopee,MA/Chicopee Comprehensive) tied for fifth. The Pioneers as a whole also lead the Empire 8 in scoring average with two goals per game and are second in shots with 244.
Looking at Sage: The Gators are 5-9-1 on the season and took down Medaille 6-1 in their last game. Offensively for Sage, Natalie Ricci leads the team with five goals followed by Kennedy Jones with four goals and Amelia Geesler with three. The team has eight players who have netted goals this season. Mickaela Buzzy has been the primary netminder this season while also sharing time with Kierstan Lynch and Emma DeMatteo. The Gators goalkeepers have a combined save percentage of .809 percent with a combined total of 93 saves which is third in Empire 8 rankings.
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are 4-6-4 on the season and defeated Nazareth 1-0 in their last game to overtake third place in conference standings while clinching an Empire 8 postseason appearance. The Hawks are led offensively by Gianna Cacciola who has netted three goals this season. Next to Cacciola, four other Hawks have netted two goals and in all, 11 have scored at least one goal. In goal for the team is Sara Staup. Staup has a .750 save percentage with a total of 54 saves.
Up Next: The Pioneers look to qualify for the Empire 8 Conference Tournament with first round games (three vs. six, four vs. five) starting on Tuesday, November 1.
