UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team prepares to travel to top-seeded St. John Fisher University at 7 p.m. on Thursday for the Empire 8 Semifinals. With a win, the Pioneers would then travel to the winner of Hartwick College and Houghton University for the Empire 8 Championship on Saturday.
Follow Along: Fisher will provide live video at
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/ and live stats via
https://sjfathletics.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary for those unable to attend.
Getting In: Admission for Empire 8 Conference Tournament games will be $6 for adults, $4 for students with ID, senior citizens, and youth (12-17), and free for children under 12. All ticketing will be handled through
https://sjfcardinals.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/70. There will also be a QR code to scan at the gate for purchasing tickets.
Please note that there will be no cash sales.
Last Time Out: The team took down the fifth-seeded Russell Sage College Gators in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament First Round, 3-2, at home on Monday evening.
Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) led the way with two goals including the eventual game-winner in the 4th quarter.
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) was responsible for the team's other goal.
Emily Frank (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) and
Riley Cosimeno (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) each had one assist on the day. In cage,
Hannah Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls) made five saves and allowed two goals en route to her first career playoff victory. Utica's
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) and Russell Sage's Alyssa Fitzgerald each registered a shot in the first five minutes of the game. At 7:30 in the first quarter Pioneers' goalkeeper
Hannah Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls) made a beautiful clearance out of the zone which led to a Pioneer goal off a Utica penalty corner.
Emily Frank (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) dished off a pass from the top of the key to
Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) to give Utica a 1-0 lead with eight minutes left in the first. In the final seconds of the quarter, Sage had a scoring chance off a corner of its own but was denied by Young to send the game into the second at 1-0 in favor of Utica. At 9:19 in the second quarter, Gators' Cheyanne Zobel fed Amy Stevens off a corner to even the match 1-1. However, the Pioneers struck back not long after. With 4:31 left to play in the half,
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) found the back of the cage for an unassisted goal to give Utica a 2-1 advantage. Both teams combined for six shots and three saves in the quarter as they went into halftime with Utica up 2-1. Sage's Amy Stevens recorded another goal early in the third quarter with a missile of a shot to tie the game 2-2. Late in the quarter, Mix fired a shot but was denied by Gator goalie, Jaia Caron. Entering the fourth quarter the score was tied 2-2. Early in the fourth quarter with 13:44 left, Jedreicich came through with what would be the deciding goal. After taking the corner, the graduate student shifted down near the crease where
Riley Cosimeno (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) found her on a give-and-go. Jedreicich wasted no time and shot the ball past Caron for the 3-2 Pioneers lead. The Gators had four more shot attempts over the final 13 minutes of play including a pair over the final minute and a half that were blocked. Utica did its part to bleed out the clock and advance in the tournament.
In the Playoffs: After yesterday's win the Pioneers sport a 10-6 Empire 8 Postseason Tournament overall record. The team holds a phenomenal 4-1 record against St. John Fisher University in the playoffs with its only loss coming in the 2021 Empire 8 Championship. Utica beat the Cardinals in 2013 and 2014 in the Empire 8 Championships while also topping them in the 2012 Semifinals and the 2017 Semifinals. The Pioneers have dominated Fisher in the postseason with two of their wins being by two goals and two wins by three goals.
National Icon: Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) has etched her name across both program and Empire 8 record books with 32 career defensive saves. While she sits one away from tying the all-time E8 record, the 2022 national leader and current 2023 national leader will also have her name across NCAA Division III record books. Her 17 defensive saves this season places her within the top-25 for a single season in DIII history while her career total of 32 is also an all-time Division III top-25 mark.
Hop On: Shannon Jedreicich's (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) heroics came in full force in Utica's 3-2 Empire 8 First Round win on Monday. Jedreicich, the most experienced player on the roster, provided two of the Pioneers' three goals including the 4th quarter game-winner. The graduate student now has four goals over her last two outings, giving her six on the year, and with her two-goal performance against Sage, she has now scored in two of her last three playoff performances.
Up & Up: Alyssa Pisano's (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) career year came into full swing in the team's first round win over Sage. Pisano's 14 goals set a new single-season career high, topping her 12 of last year. Her 30 points are also a new single season best as she surpassed the 28 she posted in 2022. Both marks put her top-15 for a single year in program history as well while she also ranks fifth in the league this year with her 14 goals.
About Fisher: The St. John Fisher Cardinals finished their regular season with a 10-7 record and a conference record of 7-0, earning the top-seed in the tournament and a first round bye. The Cardinals enter postseason play on a four-game winning streak with victories against conference opponents Houghton, Nazareth, Hartwick, and Elmira. Fisher also outscored those four teams 18-5. Coming in at the No. 1 seed, they are led by junior Audrey Grieb, senior Sam Choate, and junior Emma Cooper. In the Empire 8, Grieb ranked fifth for most assists, seventh in total points and seventh for most goals. Choate ranks sixth in total shots and tenth in goals. Cooper comes in at the two spot for total assists. Combining to make a deadly trio, they have 75 points on the season.
Other End of the Bracket: In the semifinals, the Hartwick Hawks will host the Houghton Highlanders. The No. 2 Hawks finished their regular season with a record of 10-5 and a conference record of 6-1, with their only loss coming to St. John Fisher. They are led by senior midfielder Julie Ruzzi. Ruzzi ranks second in total points (38) in the E8 and both shots and shots on goal, fourth in game-winning goals and goals, and seventh in assists. The No. 3 Highlanders finished their regular season with a record of 11-5 and a conference record of 5-2. They are led by dynamic duo Jace Hunzinger and Bekah Davie with 37 and 36 points, respectively. In the E8, Hunzinger ranks first in assists and third in shots. Davie ranked second in goals and first in game-winning goals. In their lone regular season matchup, Hartwick topped Houghton 3-1. The contest will be held Thursday, November 2 at 4 p.m.
Moving Ahead: A win on Thursday would place the Pioneers in the Empire 8 Championship on Saturday. The winner of the 2023 E8 title will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament.
