UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team is set to host SUNY Poly on Saturday, September 9 at 11 a.m. before traveling to face SUNY Cortland on Sunday, September 10 at 3 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend Saturday's game can tune in for live video and/or stats here. Cortland will provide live video here and live stats via https://shorturl.at/qyBM7. 
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University men's soccer team fell 3-0 to Plattsburgh State on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers tallied seven shots on goal with Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes), Anderson Velazquez (Norwood, NY/Marble Hill), Brady Barnard (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), Nico Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ/Southern Regional), Ryan Ching (Temple City, CA/Temple City), and Kosta Karousis (Merrick, NY/W.C. Wellington Mepham) each recording one. The Cardinals outshot the Pioneers 20 to 14 in the contest. Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) played well, making a few brilliant stops to keep the game close and totaled nine saves. The teams spent the first 20 minutes fighting for possession before the visitors scored at the 20:30 mark to take a 1-0 edge. Utica continued to push and created a few opportunities yet could not find the back of the net and the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead into the half. The second half saw the field open up as the teams were utilizing the sidelines more. Utica had its chances including a few close-range opportunities, yet the Cardinals defense responded to the pressure. Plattsburgh tacked on two goals in the 52nd and 69th minute to take a 3-0 lead which would be the final score.
 
Strong Start: The duo of Adin Day (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) and Jalen Lucero () have had a great start to their Pioneer careers with both being tied for second on the team with two points. Day and Lucero both scored in the team's season opening 4-1 win over Pitt-Bradford. The pair have both played at least 30 minutes in both games this season and figure to play a large role in the team's offense.
 
Holding down the Fort: Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) played the full 90 minutes against Pitt-Bradford and Plattsburgh State this past weekend. Against Pitt-Bradford he made one save and allowed just one goal while collecting the win. He tied a career-high nine saves against Plattsburgh against 20 shots faced while allowing just three goals. The senior's consistency of high level play has helped fortify the team's defense thus far.
 
Sophomore Leap: Noah Nassberg (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) has started his sophomore campaign in great fashion with a team-leading three points. The Naples, FL native has continued his aggressive playstyle leading to plenty of shot attempts including registering at least one shot in nine of his past ten games dating back to last season. 
 
Crosstown Success: Utica has played well against Poly boasting a 24-13-3 all-time record. The Pioneers fell to the Wildcats in a thrilling 4-3 game last season, and the teams have each won three of the past six contests. Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) netted two goals the last time these two teams met and is poised to be the focal point of the team's offense again this upcoming weekend.
 
Scouting Poly: The Wildcats are 1-2 this season after beating Pitt-Bradford 5-0 on Sunday, September 3. The team then fell to Nazareth University by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday. The Wildcats' offense has been on fire with five players recording more than three points this season. Edgar Gomez and Jephte Joseph each lead the team with a pair of goals. Thomas Nimineh is the team's top passer with two assists this season and has also scored one goal. In net, Ryan Primus has started all three games and sports a .667 save percentage with 12 saves and one shutout this season.
 
Cortland Outlook: The Red Dragons sport a 2-1 record this season after beating Manhattanville College 4-0 on Wednesday. The team will clash with Catholic University on Saturday before squaring off with the Pioneers on Sunday. The offense is led by Matt Schultz, Riley Williams, and Jack Coleman who each have at least five points this season. Shultz and Williams have each netted three goals while Coleman is the team's top passer with three assists. Jordan Ott is the team's top goaltender who sports a 2-1 record with a .583 save percentage and one shutout this season. This will be the all-time meeting between the two programs.

Up Next: The team will host SUNY Oneonta on Wednesday, September 13 at 7 p.m.