UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team is set to begin a week with two Empire 8 matches. The team will host Russell Sage College on Wednesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. before traveling to face Houghton University on Saturday, October 14 at 1 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend Wednesday's home match can tune in for live video and/or stats here. Houghton will provide live video and/or stats for Saturday's bout here.
 
Last Time Out: The team fell to St. John Fisher University 3-0 in an Empire 8 contest on Saturday, October 7. Utica led the shots battle 9-8 including outshooting Fisher 7-0 in the second half. The Cardinals drew three corner kicks to Utica's two while each team committed at least 11 fouls. Each team received a yellow card in the second half. Adin Day (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) led the way with two shots today while Noah Scranton (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), Anderson Velazquez (Norwood, NY/Marble Hill), Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), Nicholas Theimer (Flagstaff, AZ/Flagstaff), Nico Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ/Southern Regional), and Ian Winchell (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville) each had one. In net, Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) played the entire 90 minutes while allowing three goals and making one save. Fisher came out strong, scoring the game's first goal at the 14:03 mark to take an early lead. The Cardinals then tacked on two more, scoring at the 24:43 and 37:54 marks to take a 3-0 edge into halftime. The Pioneers played a much more aggressive second half creating seven shots yet could not net any goals. Utica's defense played well in the second half allowing zero shots and kept the ball in the attacking zone for the majority of the half.
 
Where We Stand: Utica currently sits in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference with a 1-2-1 Empire 8 record thus far. The Pioneers continue to create opportunities to score ranking fourth in the conference averaging 12.27 shots per game including 5.73 on target. The team looks to keep replicating these opportunities and earn some valuable points in upcoming Empire 8 matches.
 
The Time is Now: The Pioneers are set for a crucial week against Sage and Houghton, both of which are tied or within one point of Utica in the Empire 8 standings. Utica will look to earn some valuable points this week and create some separation in the standings. Between Utica and Sage two of the last three outings have been decided by one goal and between Utica and Houghton five-straight games have been decided by one goal or less. The Pioneers have been in close battles with both teams recently and look to play well this upcoming week.
 
Heating Up: Junior Nico Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ/Southern Regional) has started to break into form over his last two matches and will be a key piece of the team down the stretch. Leonard netted his first goal of the season against Hartwick College on October 4. The Long Beach Township, NJ native has also recorded one shot in back-to-back matches for the first time in six matches and his strong play looks to be another weapon for the offense as the team continues Empire 8 play.
 
Sage Outlook: The Gators are 3-5-3 this season and sport a 1-2-1 conference record which has them in a three way tie for fifth place. The team tied Keuka College 2-2 in its last outing on Wednesday, October 4. John Locicero is the team's top player and in his fifth season with the team has a team-leading 10 points including six in conference play. Mason Kievit and El Hadji Iba Sy are two more players to watch on the offensive end. Tyler Brennan is the team's top goaltender with a 2-4-3 record, with 51 saves, a .773 save percentage and three shutouts.
 
Houghton Preview: The Highlanders are 3-8-1 with a 1-3-1 Empire 8 record which has them at ninth in the conference standings. The team fell to Elmira College 2-1 in its last outing on Saturday, October 7. Houghton will host St. John Fisher University on Wednesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. before hosting Utica on Saturday, October 14 at 1 p.m. The Highlanders have a trio of playmakers as Alex Kalivoda, Andy Loomis, and Caleb Bailey all have at least 10 points this season. Kalivoda (14)  and Loomis (13) rank fourth and fifth in the E8 in points while Kalivoda' six assists are two more than anyone else in the Empire 8. Three goalies have seen time in net this season with Sam Carpenter seeing the bulk of the playing time with more than 600 minutes played thus far. Carpenter sports an 0-5-1 record and has made 18 saves on 51 shots faced this season. 

Up Next: The team will head to Geneva, NY to face Hobart College on Tuesday, October 17 at 4 p.m.