UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team is back in action tomorrow on Tuesday, September 3 when they visit Saratoga Springs for a clash with the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds. That match begins at 4 p.m and will mark the beginning of a lengthy road trip for the Pioneers. After battling Skidmore, the Pioneers will have a little gap, not playing again until they travel to Muhlenberg next week on Saturday, September 14th.

How to Watch: You can stream tomorrow's matchup live on Skidmore's athletics website by following the link below, or also by clicking the "video" link under tomorrow's matchup on our field hockey schedule page.

Skidmore athletics steam link: https://livestream.com/skidmoreathletics

Live Statistics: Get live statistics by following the link below or by selecting the "live stats" tab under tomorrow's matchup on our 2024 field hockey schedule page.

Utica vs Skidmore Field Hockey live stats link: https://skidmoreathletics.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary

Last Time Out: Pioneer field hockey returned to Gaetano Stadium on Saturday, August 31, taking on a tough New Paltz team in the final game of the season-opening 2024 Utica University Tournament. Utica battled for all 60 minutes against a Hawks squad that, in 2023, was 1 goal away from becoming the SUNYAC Champions. Despite the strong opponent, and constant rain, the Pioneers fought hard but eventually fell to New Paltz by a score of 8-3. Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) picked right up from where she left off last season, by recording 2 defensive saves just before halftime to keep the Pioneers within reach. Ranalli, the 2-time NCAA defensive saves title holder, is already off to a good start this season in her quest for an illustrious statistical three-peat. The Utica offense looked very comfortable and threatening for a good part of the matchup, finding multiple opportunities to drive past the New Paltz defense and finish their goals off in strong fashion. Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) got on the board first for the Pioneers, receiving a through-pass from Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) and launching it home. Pisano wasn't finished adding her name to the scoresheet after just 1 goal though, as she threaded the needle on her own excellent through-pass, assisting Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) for Utica's 2nd score. Durfey, a freshman, placed herself in a perfect spot to receive Pisano's pass and guide it in for her first career Pioneer goal. Durfey's goal energized the Utica offense, who went toe-to-toe with the Hawks for the entirety of the third quarter, with each team letting off 3 shots apiece in the frame. Durfey's goal also began a second half trend that was a very welcome sight for Pioneer fans, with multiple freshmen making an impact in only their 2nd game. Joining in on the rookies' rally were Pioneer newcomers Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) and Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), who both logged productive minutes in the contest. ChinQuee stepped in to begin the second half, finding a save and also disrupting multiple Hawks attacks. Benincasa on the other hand, was solely responsible for the final Pioneer goal, dribbling the ball past a very experienced and tested Hawks defense and sending it past the opposing goalkeeper for her first career goal in the orange and blue. A young and energized Utica attack, paired with an experienced defense, will provide the Pioneers with some good momentum as they hit the road for 4-straight away matchups over the course of September.

Perfect Balance: All of Utica's goals have been scored by different players so far to start the 2024 season. Graduate student Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and Junior Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) each have 1, while two newcomers, Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) and Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), each scored their first career Pioneer goals over the weekend too. Durfey and Benincasa, high school teammates and friends, have both had an immediate impact and their powerful on-field connection has been evident early on in the season for Utica.

Spreading the Wealth: Three of Utica's four goals were assisted, with two dimes by Pisano and one by Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich). The team did an excellent job connecting on the backside, scoring multiple goals by finding the open attacker at the backside post for an easy tap-in. Utica's vision inside the circle has been great to open the year. They'll look to expand on this tactic even more during their September road trip. 

Scouting Skidmore: The Skidmore Thoroughbreds are coming off a 2023 season where they finished 7-10 overall and 2-5 in Liberty League play. Skidmore is off to a 1-1 overall start in 2024 with a 5-1 win over Thomas College in their season-opener followed by a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Salve Regina. CC Wetter leads the team with four goals and one assist off of nine shots on goal. Abby Ezickson has five points on two goals and one assist to go along with four shots on goal. 
 

Next Week: Utica field hockey will continue their road trip with an away bout against Muhlenberg on Saturday, September 14th at 1 p.m.