UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team returns to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium this week for a pair of Empire 8 Conference contests. On Wednesday, the Pioneers will host the Russell Sage College Gators at 4 p.m. for its Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Then on Saturday, the team welcomes Nazareth University at 4 p.m. for Senior Day.
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can keep up with live video and/or stats through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
Last Time Out: The team fell on the road to the St. John Fisher University Cardinals, 6-1, in Empire 8 action last Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals outshot the Pioneers 22-16 and 16-14 on goal over the course of the game. Utica's lone goal came by
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) in the 4th quarter, a frame in which Utica fired off 10 shots.
Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) led the team with four shots while
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) had three to go with a defensive save.
Nicole Servider (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) tallied a pair of defensive saves as well while
Dakota Alexander (Medina, NY/Medina) had one of her own. In cage,
Desirae Baumann (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) allowed all six Fisher goals and made six saves in the losing effort. In a tightly contested first quarter, it would be the Cardinals who struck first with a goal 7:35 into the game. Two minutes later, Jedreicich got off two looks on goal in a seven second span however, both shots were stopped as the game moved into the second with Utica down by one. The Pioneer defense held strong over the first 10 minutes of the fresh quarter until Fisher struck again with nearly five minutes to go before halftime. The score remained 2-0 Cardinals entering the break. Fisher took full control of the third quarter with three goals over a five minute span to enter the fourth ahead 5-0. The Cardinals struck again just under six minutes into the fourth before Pisano got Utica on the board at 52:59.
Senior Send Off: Prior to Saturday's game, the program will honor seniors,
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington),
Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and
Emily Frank (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown), who are competing in their final seasons with the team.
Where We Stand: The Pioneers rank in the top half of the conference in shots and points thus far. Utica averages 13.50 shots per game and is averaging 3.60 points per game which is good enough for fourth in the conference. With five Empire 8 matchups left, Utica sits one game out of a postseason position with this week's opponents Sage (1-3 E8) and Nazareth (1-3 E8) ahead of the team.
She's on a Roll: Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) has started to heat up at the perfect time for the Pioneers as the team breaks into Empire 8 play. The senior has scored in back-to-back games for Utica and now has 16 points this season to lead Utica. The Hopewell Junction, NY native is top-10 in the conference in goals and shots while ranking eleventh in points. Pisano has also recorded at least two shots in back-to-back contests and looks to take the reins of the team's offense as it heads into a crucial stretch of Empire 8 play.
Frontline: The Pioneers continue to boast an incredible defense who is not afraid to put their bodies on the line. The team has amassed 26 defensive saves this season which ranks just one behind the NCAA Division III leader and Utica has three less matches played. The duo of
Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and
Nicole Servider (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) have headlined the team's defense, and their elite play is crucial to the team's success. Ranalli's 12 defensive saves are tied for the most in NCAA Division III and she has the least number of games played compared to the two she is tied with. Servider's six defensive saves have her tied for 11th in NCAA Division III and she has been fantastic in her first season as a Pioneer.
About Sage: The Gators are 4-6 this season and 1-3 in Empire 8 play which has them tied for fifth in the conference standings. Sage collected its first conference victory of the season after beating Keuka College 4-0 on Saturday, October 7. Amy Stevens leads the charge for the offense and has recorded an incredible 30 points this season which is second in the Empire 8. Stevens is also among the leaders in goals (12) and leads the conference with an incredible 67 shots which is 11 more than anyone else. Sara O'Connor, Alyssa Fitzgerald, Cheyanne Zobel are three more elite playmakers with each recording at least 14 points this season with O'Connor and Fitzgerald being top-10 in the Empire 8. Jaia Caron is the team's top goaltender and sports a 4-6 record with a .805 save percentage, 91 saves, and three shutouts thus far.
A Look at Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are 1-9 this season and are 1-3 in Empire 8 play which has them tied for fifth in the conference. The team topped Elmira 7-0 on Saturday, October 7 to collect its first Empire 8 victory of the season. Nazareth will face Oswego State on Tuesday, October 10 at 5 p.m. before clashing with Utica on Wednesday, October 11. The duo of Audra Mieczkowski and Madison Chodkowski lead the offense for Nazareth. Each have recorded at least five points this season and double-digit shots. Mieczkowski has excelled against conference opponents scoring all seven of her points this season against Empire 8 opponents in just four games. The team has had four goalies see time in net this season with each logging at least 51 minutes of action. Morgan Russo has seen the last two starts for Nazareth and has amassed 16 saves and one win over the two games.
Up Next: The team will travel to Schenectady, NY on October 17 for its final non-conference game of the season at Union College at 6 p.m.
