UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's soccer team is set to host the Penn College Wildcats on Wednesday, September 4 at 4 p.m. Utica then plays in the Blue Devil Clarion Classic at Fredonia State on September 6 against Fredonia and September 7 against Oswego State. Fredonia is set for 3:30 p.m. and Oswego State is at 12:30 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Live video for Penn College can be found here and live stats here. Fredonia and Oswego live video can be found here along with live stats here.
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University women's soccer team exploded for seven goals this afternoon to take down the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in the team's season opener.  Starting on the right note was junior Samantha Kogut (North Adams, MA/Drury), who opened the scoring for the Pioneers with her first of the season just 3:37 into the opening frame. Not long after, Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville) lit the lamp for her first of the night at 5:40. In the 34th minute, in her first game in a Pioneer uniform, junior transfer Amber Piersma (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham) found the back of the net for her first goal as a Pioneer, and her first of the night. To close out the opening frame, Lamphere found the back of the net for her second of the night in the 47th minute. To open the second frame, Piersma found the back of the net once more off a feed from Rory Richard (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) to bring the score to 5-0. Rory Richard (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) then was able to net one of her own as the senior forward scraped one past the Mustang keeper. Freshman Mackenzie Turner (Hamilton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) brought down the hammer as she lit the lamp for her first career goal off a tremendous feed from Noella Burlette (Manchester, CT/Manchester). Goalkeeper Courtney Connolly (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) recorded her 14th shutout of her career, posting a clean sheet in tonight's contest. Connolly recorded 3 saves on the afternoon. 
 
Goal Galore: In one game, the team is tied for first in conference play with seven goals, along with a stellar 27 shots and 17 shots on goal. Piersma has a 100 percent shots-on-goal percentage, racking up seven, with two of them hitting the back of the net. Richard is right behind with five shots on goal of her own and an assist to go with it. Kogut scored her first career with an absolute beauty of a shot from nearly 30 yards out from the side of the net. 
 
Up and Out: The backend of the Pioneer defense was stout against Morrisville, letting up three shots the entire match. Kogut, Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) and Connolly lead a unit that let up only one goal per game last season. Connolly is one of four goalies who has one clean sheet on the season in the E8.
 
About Penn College: The Penn College Wildcats finished the 2023 season 11-2-7 overall and went 3-1-2 in the United East Conference. To start this season, the Wildcats are 0-0-1, tying with Penn State-Altoona 0-0 in their first game. Penn is without its leading scorer from a year ago, Kaelynn Sheetz, who scored an impressive 54 points on 24 goals and six assists. The team returns its other top point producers though, in Cassie Johnson and Wiley Egan. This is the first meeting between Utica and Penn College. 
 
Scouting Fredonia: Fredonia finished 2023 6-8-2 overall and 3-5-1 in SUNYAC play. The team's top two leading scorers return, Katie Sellers and Gabby Irwin. Sellers collected nine goals and two assists and Irwin scored four and dished out eight assists. Abby Symkowiak is the Blue Devil goalkeeper this season. She has started two games so far in 2024, and she sports a 1-1-0 record with a .882 save percentage. 

Looking at Oswego: The Lakers completed 2023 6-4-7 overall and 3-2-3 in SUNYAC play. Oswego fell in the SUNYAC Semifinals to Cortland, 2-1. The team started this season with a 2-1 win against Wilkes University. Katie Delgross returns this season after finishing last year as the leading point producer with five goals and one assist. Perri Anderson is the goalkeeper who sports a .800 save percentage. In 2023 she posted a .79 goals against average. 
 
Up Next: Utica heads to SUNY Potsdam on Wednesday, September 11, at 7 p.m.