ALFRED, NY - The Utica University women's soccer team ended its Empire 8 Conference match against Alfred University in a scoreless draw on Saturday evening. 

Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) and Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville) each recorded two shots in the contest. Kayla Giovingo (Centereach, NY/Centereach), Samantha Kogut (North Adams, MA/Drury), Bella Noble (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville), Amber Piersma (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham), and Rory Richard (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) each tallied one shot in the contest. In goal, Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) recorded two saves in the scoreless effort. Utica outshot the Saxons by a 9-8 margin, and tripled the Saxons in corners 3-0.

In the opening frame, the Pioneers would be unable to get their first shot off until the 18th minute as Giovingo would put one on the Alfred goalkeeper. That was the first of Alfred goalkeeper Kiani Barnard-Pratt's saves on the night, marking four in the first half and five in the second. Utica would then record back to back shots in the 21st minute courtesy of Noble that would go wide of the net and in the 22nd minute courtesy of Kogut that would hit the crossbar. Utica would be unable to record another shot until the 45th minute courtesy of Lamphere that would go wide of the net to send the Pioneers into the half scoreless. 

The second half would see Alfred be the first to record a shot, with three straight in the 50th, 52nd, and 54th minutes. Utica would not be able to record a shot until the 61st minute when Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) had an opportunity on a corner, but her header attempt would come up fruitless. Piersma would be the next Pioneer to take a crack at the Alfred goalkeeper, but her efforts would come careening into the goalkeeper. The Pioneers would be unable to record another shot until the 82nd minute, when a shot from Richard would go just wide of the net. This would spark the Pioneer offense, triggering a corner for the Pioneers, followed by another shot from Kraft, followed by another Pioneer corner, and a shot from Lamphere that would end up blocked by a Saxon defender. 

Utica (4-8-1, 2-4-1 Empire 8) travels to Oneonta, NY on Wednesday, October 16 to take on the Hartwick College Hawks. Game time is set for 6pm.