ONEONTA, NY - The Pioneer Field Hockey team headed to Oneonta on Wednesday evening to faceoff against last season's Empire 8 Tournament Champions in the Hartwick Hawks. The Hawks, ranked third in the Empire 8 prior to Wednesday's matchup, was looking to keep pace with conference leaders Brockport and Geneseo atop the conference standings. The Pioneers, on the other hand, were looking for a late-season spark to propel them back into the Empire 8 playoff race. With lots on the line, the Hawks and Pioneers did battle down in Oneonta, where the Hawks used their early momentum to pull away, weathering a late Pioneer rally to take the important midweek contest by a score of 3-1
 
Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) led the Pioneers in shots on goal, landing all three of her shots on-cage. Benincasa also scored the Pioneers' lone goal, a third quarter strike from the center of the opposing circle.
 
Fellow Freshman Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) manned the cage for the final 45 minutes, putting in a spectacular shift and shutting out the Hawks over the final three quarters. ChinQuee also logged five saves in the three-frame shutout.
 
Hartwick made their presence felt early, scoring their first goal within the first two minutes of play, and then using that early push to take a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
For the final 45 minutes, the game was relatively even, with the Pioneers even out-scoring the Hawks over the last three periods. Not accounting for the first quarter of play, the Pioneers almost drew level with the Hawks in total shots, launching only 1-less shot than Hartwick during the final three quarters with the hosts having a 9-8 advantage in that category.
 
Utica also gained seven penalty corners over the final three frames, four less than Hartwick who managed 11 during that time.
 
Benincasa's goal in the third quarter energized a Pioneer side that was looking for any way to claw back in the game. Utica had the next three shots in the matchup but couldn't push any more past, seeing time slip away as Hartwick secured a 3-1 decision.
 
The Pioneers will look to regroup against Brockport on Saturday, with this game taking place back at ABM Field. Utica will be searching for a marquee win during Saturday's game, which will begin at 5:00 PM from Gaetano Stadium.