UTICA, NY - After a pair of action-packed games last week, the Utica University field hockey team will have a lighter schedule coming up, with just one game scheduled this week. With the offense starting to click, the Pioneers will attempt to keep up their momentum as they travel to Keuka on Saturday in search of their first conference victory of the 2025 campaign. Get caught up on last week's action and prepare for this week's matchup with our weekly field hockey preview!
 
You can stream this weekend's contest by heading to the link below, or by clicking the "Watch" link in our field hockey schedule page.
 
At Keuka streaming link (Saturday): https://www.empire8network.com/keuka/
 
You can follow live stats for Saturday's matchup by heading to this link, or by clicking the "Live Stats" link in our field hockey schedule page:
 
At Keuka Live Stats Link (Saturday): https://keukaathletics.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Recapping Last Week's Action: The Pioneers had a dynamic week during last week's pair of matchups, notching a big non-conference victory against Morrisville (7-3 final) before falling to Houghton (5-2 final) in a competitive Homecoming Saturday contest. You can view highlights from both of these matchups by following the links below:
 
At Morrisville Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQoUYJK_uxo
 
Vs Houghton Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6BogAU56E&t=101s
 
On Tuesday at Morrisville, the Pioneers held the lead throughout, but experienced periods of pushback from the hosting Mustangs. An especially active third quarter by the opposition would give the team some trouble; however, despite Morrisville racking up eight corners in the frame, the Pioneers would only allow four Mustang shots as each team scored just once during the fifteen-minute spurt. Following a great defensive effort, Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and the Pioneers would put an end to the affair, as the senior captain scored the final two goals in a three-goal period to seal the 7-3 non-conference victory over the SUNYAC side.
 
On Saturday, the Pioneers maintained their momentum, starting quickly as they celebrated Homecoming by scoring in the second minute of play. Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) helped get the Pioneers on the board, giving them a lead they would hold for around 20 minutes before a Houghton equalizer leveled the playing field. Houghton would take the lead late in the second quarter, before Fragapane continued her stellar week, scoring in the middle of a scrum to knot the game at two apiece heading into halftime. Following the mid-game break, the Pioneers would threaten often, but couldn't find the cage as the Highlanders slowly pulled ahead for a 5-2 Empire 8 victory.
 
 
Offensive Outburst: The most notable part of the Pioneers' run over the past two games has been the resurgence of the Pioneer offense, which has found some areas of strength that they'll look to capitalize on moving forward in conference play. The team scored nine total goals last week and also racked up six assists, a very welcome offensive explosion.
 
Leading the Pioneers on that end was senior captain Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), who, by herself, had an eight-point week, tallying three goals and two assists. Fragapane was active and versatile, finding her scores thanks to some heads-up play in the opposing circle, while also showing great vision during her pair of assists. She also contributed heavily to the Pioneers' transition game, something that was headed up by the Pioneers' other premier playmaker last week: Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich).
 
Spiezio was all over the place last week, racing up and down the field to cause massive headaches for opposing defenses. The junior forward grabbed three goals and also added an assist, having a big seven-point week to help power the Pioneers alongside Fragapane. Spiezio's biggest strength was her speed, both with and without the ball, as she raced past the back line and handled past many different defenders during the two games. Her fast-paced play helped the team put opposing defenses at a disadvantage, creating numerous prime opportunities for herself and her teammates.
 
Supporting the two main attackers was the Pioneers' other captain, Samantha Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls), who helped guide some secondary attacks. Young was there to back up Fragapane and Spiezio on many occasions, taking the ball back after a turnover at the top, and putting herself in a perfect spot to assist her teammates. Thanks to this, Young picked up two assists during the week.
 
The team will look to these three players to help power the attack once again this upcoming weekend against the Wolves.
 
Offensive success for the Pioneers will also hinge on the team's ability to continue being active and efficient on offense. The team currently ranks fifth out of eleven in the entire Empire 8 for shots on goal per game, showing that they create more opportunities in each contest than a majority of the conference. This shots-on-goal ranking comes despite the team ranking ninth out of eleven for total shots, meaning that the Pioneers put a majority of their shots on frame. If the team maintains this pace, the goals will fall, allowing the team to keep up in the Empire 8's goal-scoring category. 
 
Orange and Blue Archive - Keuka: The Pioneers and Wolves have faced off six times since the formation of Keuka's field hockey team ahead of the 2015 season. In those six contests, the Pioneers have completed an overwhelming sweep, defeating the Wolves in all six matchups. Those six contests have been evenly split in terms of location, with each team hosting three games. The Pioneers have also completed shutouts in five out of the six contests, with the 2021 edition being the only one in which the Wolves scored. The Pioneers have outscored Keuka 34-2 throughout the history of the rivalry, and will look to keep up their stellar record this coming weekend.
 
Scouting the Wolves: The Keuka Wolves currently sit at 0-9, but are fresh off of an extremely competitive 1-2 loss to SUNYAC side Oswego on Tuesday. Keuka has faced lots of different competition, playing many different teams from around the Northeast including Lycoming, Marian, and Wilson. In conference play, the Wolves have a close 2-0 loss at Russell Sage, followed by a decisive defeat at Nazareth.
 
Leading the Keuka attack is senior midfielder Tori Nelson, who has two goals and three assists in 2025. The Wolves' best attacker is coincidentally from local school Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, joining the green and yellow after successful career with the Red Devils.
 
The Wolves' second option is Anna Dewey, who has two goals on the season. Keuka's senior duo power an offense that also has four other goal scorers, with Brianna Broadwell, Jaime Harrigan, Emma Mantione, and Cassidy Scheftic each having one score.
 
On the defensive end, Ashley Pospiech leads the team with two defensive saves, while Khadeeja Reed is the main goaltender, posting a .613 save percentage in her nine starts.
 
After Saturday's Matchup with Keuka: The Pioneers will return to their weekly two-game schedule next week, hosting Nazareth and Alfred University during a mini two-game homestand. The Golden Flyers will come to town on Wednesday, October 8th for a 7:00 PM matchup, while the Saxons will visit on Saturday, October 11th, with that game slated to begin at 4:00 PM. That latter game against Alfred University will also be the Pioneers' Senior Day, with the team holding a special senior celebration ahead of the scheduled start time.
 
Tune in this weekend as the Pioneers battle Keuka!