UTICA, NY- The Utica University Women's soccer team is set to open its 2023 season on the road at 6 p.m. on Friday September 1 against Morrisville State College. 
 
Follow Along: On Friday, fans can watch live through https://boxcast.tv/view/womens-soccer-vs-utica-university-zdzrnkjicucjpfndxexp or keep up with live stats at https://morrisvillemustangs.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary. 
 
Last Season: The Pioneers ended the 2022 season 8-8-4 overall and 4-2-3 in the Empire 8. The team clinched the fourth-seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament and won its first two tournament games to reach the Empire 8 Championship for the fourth time in five seasons. However, Utica ultimately fell on the road to Nazareth University in the title, 1-0. Utica was led by two second team all-conference players, Jenna Keeman (Douglas, MA/Douglas) and Ro Hernandez (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic). Junior newcomer Julianna Beaulieu (Southwick, MA/Chicopee Comprehensive) had a fantastic season recording 18 points highlighted by three goals on five shots in the semifinal game against St. John Fisher. Graduate Student Jacinta Kaminski (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) also contributed 14 points in her final season and received the Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year award. The team led the Empire 8 in goals scored (38), scoring average (1.900 goals per game), points (101) and assists (25). The team ranked second in the Empire 8 with nine shutouts. 
 
Season Outlook: The team's 16 game schedule consists of eight Empire 8 matches and seven non-conference opponents. Utica's conference schedule will feature four home matches against Alfred University, Houghton University, Russell Sage College and St. John Fisher University. The team will be on the road at Hartwick College, Elmira College, Keuka College and Nazareth University. The Pioneers' non-conference slate will feature four home matches against SUNY Potsdam, Union College, Hamilton College and St. Lawrence University. Away matches include Morrisville State College and SUNY Poly along with the Blue Devil Clarion Classic at Fredonia State against Fredonia State and Oswego State. 
 
At the Helm: Brooke Barbuto enters her fifth season as the head coach of the Utica University women's soccer program in 2023. Barbuto has led the Pioneers to two-straight Empire 8 Championship game appearances and the team has reached the postseason in all three years of her tenure. That includes the program's first Empire 8 tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in 2019. She has piloted the squad to a record of 30-25-9 over a four-season span. She has coached her players to a total of ten All-Conference nods. Assistant Coach Caroline Kopp will also be entering her fifth season with the program. 
 
Fresh Faces: The Pioneers are welcoming 10 incoming freshmen to the team this season. Midfielders Madalyn Haaf (Fabius-Pompey, NY/Fabius-Pompey) , Meg Lasher (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont), Jess Almeida (Bristol, RI/Tabor Academy), and McKenna Hussar (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) will look to make an impact on the offensive side. Haaf won the senior Athlete of the Year award in 2023 and received third team All-State in 2022. Almeida was a four-year varsity player while Hussar was a two-year sectional champion. Defenders Madeleine Wolters-Argenio (Vinton, VA/William Byrd), Grace Maury (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity), Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) and Sarah Randall (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown) look to help the team defend goalkeeper, Courntey Connally. Wolters-Argenio earned second team All-District honors, Maury was a team captain and state champion with her club team and Kraft comes in as a two-time All-League selection. 
 
Incoming Experience: Jazmyn Gillette (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy), Harlee Lucier (Parish, NY/Altmar-Parish-Williamstown) and Olivia Bochniak (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) are the three players transferring in looking to make an impact on the 2023 season. Gillette and Bochniak spent their freshman and sophomore seasons at Mohawk Valley Community College. During their two years with the team, MVCC went 16-2-1 their freshman year and 18-1 in their sophomore year en route to a national championship appearance. Gillette totaled 126 points in two seasons scoring 47 goals and 32 assists while Bochniak posted 13 points. Lucier is entering the 2023 season from SUNY Purchase where her team went 4-10. 
 
Key Returners: Graduate Student Jenna Keeman (Douglas, MA/Douglas), along with seniors Kaela Mochak (Westfield, MA/Westfield), Gabriela Daumont (Latham, NY/Shaker) and Julianna Beaulieu (Southwick, MA/Chicopee Comprehensive), are back to provide strong leadership and strong play. Sophomores Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville) and Rory Richard (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) are returning after having productive freshman seasons. Lamphere scored six goals and was a one-time recipient of the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week award. Richard scored two goals and dished out one assist in her first season with the Pioneers. Keeman is back for her final year of eligibility and has started in 36 out of 44 matches since her freshman season. In 2020 and 2022 she helped the team rank third in the Empire 8 with 1.10 opponents goals per  game in 21' and a 1.38 average in 20'. Keeman has totaled 11 points in her career and has logged over 3,000 minutes. Mochak recorded four points last season while starting in all 20 matches. Beaulieu provided a tremendous presence as she scored seven goals during the regular season in what was her first year with the Pioneers. She also became the first player to score a hat-trick in an Empire 8 postseason game. 
 
Goalie Presence: Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and Cierra Doolen (Frankfort, NY/Central Valley Academy) each spent time in goal last season. Connolly started in all 20 matchups recording six shutouts and a .800 save percentage while also seccuring a 1.13 goals against average. She received the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week award two times. In 34 games over two seasons she has 10 shutouts. She is ranked third in program history with 38 games played as a goalkeeper and she is tied for the third most wins as a goalie with 14. Doolen saw minutes in four contests and posted a .857 save percentage and averaged less than one goal a game with a .67 goals against average. 
 
Key Departures: Kaminski and Hernandez are the teams biggest losses heading into the 2023 season. Kaminski was part of the team for five seasons totaling 10 goals and 11 assists and while also being tied for first place in the Empire 8 with six assists in the 2022 season. Hernandez was a two-time All-Conference selection and over three seasons she recorded 19 goals and seven assists while also leading the conference in points and goals last season.  
 
Scouting Morrisville: The Morrisville Mustangs went 4-10-1 overall and 2-6 in the United East conference last year. Juniors Jenny DeJung and Tiffany Dicenzo led the team in scoring with DeJung scoring a team-high four goals on nine shots while Dicenzo recorded two goals and two assists. Goalkeepers Meaghan Miller and Melanie Rott split their starts in net. Miller started in nine games collecting 64 saves while posting a .719 save percentage. Rott started in six matches recording 43 saves and accumulating a .754 save percentage to finish the season. This will be the fourth time these schools meet as Utica is 3-0 all-time against Morrisville including a 4-0 win in the last matchup in 2019. 
 
Up Next: The team will travel to cross-town foe SUNY Poly on Wednesday, September 6 at 6 p.m.