UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team will kick off its 2023 campaign this weekend at the SUNY New Paltz Invitational. Utica will take on SUNY Oneonta at 4 p.m. on Friday before battling the host team, SUNY New Paltz, at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
How to Watch: Fans can follow along with live video and/or stats for both games via
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nphawks/.
2022 Recap: Utica capped off its 2022 season with an 8-10 overall mark while having gone 6-3 in Empire 8 play. The team qualified for the Empire 8 Tournament and advanced to the semifinals before ultimately falling to the eventual league champion Hartwick College Hawks. On offense, the Pioneers finished fifth in the league netting 2.23 goals per outing while the team's 2.44 goals allowed per game were the third fewest in the E8.
At the Helm: Nikki Hobaica returns for her eighth season in charge of the program while
Rylee Calidonna (fifth season) and
Megan Chamberlain (second season) return as assistants. Over her previous seven seasons, Hobaica has led the Pioneers to nearly 50 victories as well as five Empire 8 Tournament berths including four in a row.
A Look Ahead: The Pioneers are slated to play nine non-conference games this season while their remaining seven will come against Empire 8 foes. Of the team's nine non-league games five will come on the road at SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta (to be played at New Paltz), Morrisville State, Keystone College and Union College. Utica will open at home against Skidmore College on September 5 before later playing host to SUNY Brockport, St. Lawrence University and Oswego State. Road league games will be played at St. John Fisher University, Keuka College and Elmira College, respectively. The Pioneers will host Houghton University, Russell Sage College, Nazareth University and Hartwick College, respectively.
Back in Action: Utica will welcome back 14 of 18 players from the 2022 team. The experience of
Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East),
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) (two-time All-E8 selection),
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) (2022 All-E8 selection),
Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) (2022 All-E8 selection),
Emily Frank (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) and
Sarah Huller (Burke, VA/Carver Center for Arts & Technology) will add to those looking to make a second-year leap in
Christina Jackson (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport),
Riley Cosimeno (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill),
Makayla Arnold (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro),
Samantha Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls),
Dakota Alexander (Medina, NY/Medina),
Kalista Betz (Canastota, NY/Canastota) and
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy).
Key Departures: The Pioneers will look to fill the voids left of All-Conference players in
Chloe Williams (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) and
Kylee Wojciechowski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent), as well as
Jenna Carbone (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville), who were crucial aspects to the team's defense over the years.
Lean on Me: Two-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection
Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) enters her junior campaign fresh off of her best season to date. She tallied single-season career bests with 11 goals, a .282 shot percentage and 26 points while her goal and point totals ranked within the top-10 in the E8. If she matches her goal and point totals from last season, Mix will enter the top-10 in program history in both categories. The junior had an uptick in a plethora of offensive categories such as goals, assists, points, shots, shots on goal, and minutes. With her consistently improving, she hopes to top last year's numbers and earn a third-straight All-Empire 8 honor.
Run it Back: Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) had a breakout 2022 in which she led the team and ranked top-10 in the Empire 8 with 12 goals and 28 points. The senior midfielder enjoyed All-Empire 8 Second Team honors following her junior campaign where she increased her goal total by 10, point total by 23 and her assist total by 3 while more than doubling her time on the field from her sophomore season to her junior run. The Pioneers will run it back with the duo of Mix and Pisano at the helm of the midfield and will lean on other players stepping up and helping the team to another successful season.
Field General: Much like Mix and Pisano,
Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) comes into 2023 following a junior campaign for the ages. Not only did the now-senior set the single-season program record with 15 defensive saves, but she was also the national leader across NCAA Division I, II and III. With that, Ranalli also became the all-time program leader in defensive saves. With the departures of fellow defenders in Wojciechowski and Williams, Ranalli will be counted on to anchor the Pioneers defensive unit.
New Kids on the Block: The Pioneers have added nine fresh faces to their 2023 team with eight freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
Porter Russ (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) comes in as the lone transfer after spending her 2022 season with the Empire 8 champion Hartwick Hawks.
Desirae Baumann (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) is expected to take over in the cage of the Pioneers in her first season with the team. Also looking for time between the pipes is Herkimer Community College transfer
Hannah Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls). Incoming forwards include
Ruby Mehan (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville),
Deanna Jackson (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport), an All-Conference Honorable Mention in high school last season, and
Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), a two-time Wasaren League First Team honoree. New midfielders consist of
Isabella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), an All-Tri Valley First Team selection as well as the New Hartford High School team MVP, and
Emilia Harring (Taberg, NY/Camden), who previously earned Scholar Athlete and First Team All-Star honors. Utica also added a pair of defenders in
Nicole Servider (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke), a three-time Nassau County All-Conference honoree and a Nassau County Class B champion, as well as
Angelina Borowiec (Clinton, NY/Clinton), a two-time Second Team All-Star from Clinton High School.
About Oneonta: The Red Dragons are coming off a 7-10 season while their 4-2 record qualified the team for the SUNYAC Tournament. Oneonta ultimately fell to SUNY Cortland in the tournament semifinals, 2-1. Last year, Oneonta averaged 1.41 goals per game on 11.2 shots while allowing 1.71 goals per game on 14.1 shots per outing to opponents. While the team will be without its top-scorer from last year, Carly Waszczak (14 points on seven goals), its second-leading scorer, Morgan Fleming (11 points on five goals and one assist), is back for a graduate season. Oneonta will also replace goalkeeper Jennifer Tumino, who started all 17 games in 2022 while posting a 7-10 record and a 1.66 goals against average. The Red Dragons lead the all-time series against the Pioneers, 13-10, while having won each of the last three meetings between the teams.
A Look at New Paltz: The Hawks compiled a 10-7 overall record in 2022 and reached the SUNYAC Tournament Semifinals after a 3-3 mark in league action. On average, the Hawks outscored opponents 3.0-1.71 in 2022 while getting off 19.6 shots per game to opponents' 8.8. New Paltz lost its top two scorers from last season in Natasia Plunkett and Shannon Bernhardt. Plunkett had an incredible 33 points with 15 goals and three assists while Bernhardt had 10 goals and six assists totaling 26 points. However, Hannah Ackerman and Miranda Britton return for another season after each of them accumulated at least 16 points in 2022 with Ackerman reaching 20. The duo will look to take the reins this upcoming campaign with Ackerman setting up the offense after her team-leading 10 assists last season which was more than double anyone else on the team. The Hawks lost their starting goaltender, Davin Testo, who made 14 starts last season. Yet, Gail Comiskey made seven appearances last season going 2-0 with 12 saves, and a .750 save percentage and take the leap to starter. It has been nearly an even all-time series between the two with New Paltz leading a narrow 6-5 advantage including winning the last four meetings.
Up Next: Utica will open home at 6 p.m. on September 6 against Skidmore College.
