UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team is set to host the Keuka College Wolves on Wednesday, October 25 at 7 p.m. in its regular season finale before the Empire 8 Postseason Tournament.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can tune in for both live video and/or stats here.
 
Last Time Out: The team fell to the Alfred University Saxons 2-0 in Empire 8 play on Saturday, October 21. It was a tough-fought game for both teams. The first half saw Alfred score two goals in the first 20 minutes of action. Chase Freeland scored both goals unassisted. The first goal came in the ninth minute of play and the second at the 20th minute to give Alfred a 2-0 lead. At the 15th-minute mark, Utica's Ryan Ching (Temple City, CA/Temple City) registered the team's first shot on net but was turned away by Saxon goalkeeper Matthew Osmundson. The Pioneers recorded 11 shots compared to Alfred's four in the first half of action. Freeland's two goals were the only goals scored. Alfred would go into halftime with a 2-0 advantage. Utica kept its foot on the gas in the second half recording 12 shots compared to Alfred's one in 45 minutes of play, yet the Saxons defense responded to the pressure. Osmundson registered eight saves on the evening. Utica's Gavin Baxter (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville) and Martin Mendoza (Walden, NY/The Mount Academy) each recorded two shots on goal. Noah Scranton (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), and Ching registered one shot on goal. Eduardo Paez (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) and Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) each saw time in net for the Pioneers recording zero saves. 
 
Going to the Dance: Utica officially clinched an Empire 8 Postseason Tournament berth over this past weekend and will participate in the tournament starting on Saturday, October 28. The team can finish as high as fifth and as low as sixth and will be on the road to face either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed with the matchups to be determined later this week. The Tournament will begin on Saturday, October 28 with the first round with the semifinals being on Wednesday, November 1, and the championship match being on Saturday, November 4. All matches will be played at the higher seed.
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers are fifth in the Empire 8 standings as they head into their last regular season game. The team ranks fourth in the conference in shots averaging 12.87 per game including 6.07 on goal. Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) continues to have a fantastic campaign as he is tied for sixth in the Empire 8 in goals with five while also ranking top-10 in shots, shots on goal, and game-winning goals.
 
Attacking It: The team's offense has been firing off plenty of shots, recording 10 against Hobart College and 23 against Alfred University which was the team's most since September 9 against SUNY Poly. Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), Gavin Baxter (Ellenville, NY/Ellenville), and Martin Mendoza (Walden, NY/The Mount Academy) all recorded four shots against Alfred and look to help lead the offense against Keuka and continue playing well heading into the Empire 8 Postseason Tournament.
 
Playoff History: Last year, Utica was the No. 4 seed in the Empire 8 Postseason Tournament and defeated Nazareth University and St. John Fisher University in the first two rounds. The team reached the Empire 8 Championship yet fell to Medaille 3-2 in a heartbreaking double overtime loss. Kamer Lenio (Brighton, NY/Brighton) scored his first goal of the season in the Championship game and was named to the E8 All-Tournament team. Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) scored an unassisted goal later in the game that evened the score 2-2. The game went into two consecutive overtimes, and Medaille scored the game-winning goal less than a minute into the second overtime. In 2021, Utica, was the No. 3 seed and went to the Semifinals but was defeated by Houghton University. Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) had an unassisted goal in the second half and scored another goal tying the score 2-2. Houghton won the game on a rebound shot, ending the game 4-3. 
 
Scouting Keuka: The Wolves are 1-9-3 this season and sport an 0-5-2 record in conference play this season which has them eliminated from the Empire 8 Postseason Tournament. In its last match, the team lost to Hartwick College 2-0 on Wednesday, October 18. Keuka poises a well balanced attack with seven different players scoring one goal this season. Thomas Stojanov is the team's top facilitator leading Keuka with one assist. Carson Smith is the top goaltender sporting an 0-7-3 record with 18 goals allowed, 71 saves, and a .798 save percentage.
 
Up Next: Utica will begin the Empire 8 Postseason Tournament by traveling to either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed on Saturday, October 28 with the opponent and game time to be determined.