UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team will play the middle portion of its season-long five-game road trip this week. The Pioneers will travel to Canton, NY on Tuesday to take on St. Lawrence University at 5 p.m. before heading to Washington, PA on Saturday for a noon game against Washington & Jefferson College.
Follow Along: St. Lawrence will provide live video on Tuesday through
https://bit.ly/2WMuH3n as well as live stats via
https://bit.ly/3n4aAs6. W&J will also provide live video on Saturday through
https://bit.ly/3SfNv1P and live stats at
https://bit.ly/3BOPh4K.
Last Time Out: Utica fell to the Houghton University Highlanders 2-1 on the road this past Saturday. The Highlanders took command of the first quarter, outshooting the Pioneers 5-0 but failed to find the back of the cage as the game was scoreless through the first 15 minutes of action. Houghton broke through at the 23:14 mark on an unassisted Bekah Davie goal to give the home team a 1-0 lead entering halftime. The tides began to turn for Utica in the second half as the team was able to double its shot total from two in the first half to four in the third quarter alone. However, three saves by Highlander goalkeeper Madison Tadusz in the third kept the home team ahead 1-0 entering the final quarter of play. The Pioneers broke through with less than eight minutes to play as
Makayla Arnold (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) recorded her first goal as a Pioneer to even the score at one. Less than one minute later, Peyton Bentley converted on what turned out to be the game-winning goal for Houghton as the Pioneers fell on the road to the Highlanders, 2-1. Utica out-shot Houghton 12-10 throughout the game including 8-5 on goal while drawing 14 penalty corners to seven by the Highlanders.
Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) attempted four of the Pioneers' shots while
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) took three looks and two each by
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy ).
Lyla Cushman (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) tallied three saves in cage for the team as well.
Youth Movement: Five out of the seven Pioneer goals on the season have come from underclassmen. Freshman
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy ) has recorded two tallies, both coming against the Morrisville Mustangs. Fellow freshman
Makayla Arnold (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) scored her first of her college career in the loss against Houghton, and sophomore
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) has two tallies to her name, coming against Morrisville and Brockport. Mix and Fragapane are currently tied for the team lead in goals.
Defensive Minded: The Pioneer defense has only allowed 12 goals this season, putting them at second on the Empire 8 leaderboard. Goaltender
Lyla Cushman (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) has posted a 66.7 save percentage with 18 total saves as well as posting a 2.25 goals against average, which has landed her a spot at second on the Empire 8 leaderboard for goals against average.
Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) also finds herself tied for the league lead with a pair of defensive saves.
Scouting the Saints: The Saints are 3-2 so far this season and are on a two-game winning streak. St. Lawrence has been out-scored by opponents 10-7 over its five games while seven different players have accounted for each of the team's goals. The Saints have used a pair of goalkeepers this season in Cara Vredenburg (three starts) and Lucy Adiutori (two starts). Vredenburg has allowed eight goals this season while making 16 saves for a .667 save percentage while Adiutori has allowed two goals and has recorded 11 saves with an .846 save percentage. Utica is 7-5 all-time against St. Lawrence including wins in four out of the last five meetings. The Saints, however, took the most recent matchup with a 4-3 win in 2021.
About the Presidents: The Presidents are currently 2-4 on the season and 2-1 in Empire 8 play. In their last outing, the Presidents fell to Nazareth College, losing 2-1 in overtime. Hailey Wachowiak currently holds the team lead in goals with five. Goaltender Anastasia Godat has allowed 16 goals on 38 shots, posting a .704 save percentage over five games for the Presidents. Utica is 9-9 all-time against Washington & Jefferson, with Utica taking their last matchup in 2021 by a score of 6-3.
Up Next: Utica will travel to Oswego State at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28 for its fifth and final game of the road trip.
