UTICA, NY - With three games left in the 2025 regular season, the Pioneers have entered the home stretch, sitting just one spot out of the Empire 8 tournament heading into a massive week. This week's opponents are Hartwick and Brockport, two teams that currently sit above the Pioneers in the Empire 8 standings, as Hartwick holds the current #3 seed in the Empire 8 tournament, while Brockport is just one slot above the Pioneers, holding the current #6 seed in the standings. The Pioneers will welcome Hartwick tomorrow afternoon, before traveling to face Brockport on Saturday. Tomorrow's matchup will begin at 3:45 PM, and Saturday's showdown gets underway at 3:00 PM.
 
You can stream this week's contests by heading to the link below, or by clicking the "Watch" link in our field hockey schedule page.
 
Vs Hartwick Stream (Wednesday): https://www.empire8network.com/utica/?B=2527130
 
At SUNY Brockport Stream (Saturday): https://www.empire8network.com/brockport/
 
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:
 
Vs Hartwick Live Stats Link (Wednesday): https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Vs SUNY Brockport Live Stats Link (Saturday): https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Recapping Last Week's Action: The Pioneers continued to remain competitive in conference play last week, falling 4-2 at Fisher on Wednesday and defeating Elmira 7-4 on Saturday to cap off their pair of away games.
 
Against Fisher, the Pioneers fought off a 1-0 halftime deficit, scoring right after the break to equalize. The score would remain 1-1 until the final stages of the matchup, where the Cardinals would score three goals in quick succession to cement a 4-2 win. Despite the result, the Pioneers stood on equal footing with one of the most consistent conference threats, nearly ending their 10-game slide against St. John Fisher and proving that the program is on the cusp of breaking into the upper ranks of the Empire 8. The orange and blue managed to outshoot Fisher on enemy turf by a margin of 12-11 shots on goal, with the offense continuing to find its footing.
 
On Saturday, the offense did more than just find footing though, as Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and the orange and blue attack found the net instead, seven times to be exact, in a 7-4 win over Elmira. The Pioneers were led by Fragapane, who scored her second career hat trick, also adding an assist to record a superb seven points. Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) also added a highlight-reel score, hitting a ball out of midair in a very baseball-like fashion. Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), Izzy Acee (Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill), and Deanna Jackson (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) rounded out the scoring for the Pioneers, who improved to 3-4 with the victory and moved into 7th place in the Empire 8. For Jackson and Acee, it was also their first career goals.
 
You can view highlights from the Elmira matchup, as well as many other matchups by clicking the links below:
 
At Morrisville Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=Z68HWE44QuVM2cBz&v=mQoUYJK_uxo&feature=youtu.be
 
Vs Houghton Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6BogAU56E
 
At Keuka Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJCDAdoOUhw
 
Vs Nazareth Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loAsCftVFMI
 
Vs Alfred University Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpyzWO9Pfik

At Elmira College Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azOsnKMzM2A
 
All-Star Alanna: Pioneer captain Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) was rewarded for her nine-point week by being named Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Her award comes on the back of four goals and one assist, all of which were recorded during the team's two games this past week. Frags has now scored in five of the Pioneers' last seven games, and three of their four total wins. The senior's biggest strength this season has been her consistency on the offensive end, as she's spread out her goals at a much better pace this season. Last year, Fragapane netted six goals, all of which came over just three different contests. This season, she's grabbed nine goals over six different games, scoring in twice as many matchups. Fragapane has also displayed great accuracy with her attempts, launching 74 shots and landing 53 on frame for a shots-on-goal percentage of 71.6%. Her ability to find the highest-percentage attempts is consistent with the team's philosophy as well, as the Pioneers have far and away the most accurate offense in the Empire 8. The team has landed 115 of its 146 shot opportunities on frame, good for a team shots on goal percentage of 78.7%. This surpasses even the most accurate percentages by the biggest powerhouses in the conference, as Geneseo (67%), Nazareth (66%), and St. John Fisher (68.8%) all fall under 70%. Coincidentally, the only other team in the conference that holds a shots-on-goal rate of over 70% while taking more than 100 total shots is the Pioneers' next opponent, Hartwick.
 
Empire 8 Outlook: The Pioneers are right on the cusp of the Empire 8 Tournament, currently holding the #7 spot, which places them one slot out of the tournament field. However, big games against the current #3 seed, Hartwick, and #6 seed Brockport mean that, for all intents and purposes, the Pioneers control their own destiny.
 
Saturday's matchup will most likely be a win-and-in situation for both squads, so tune in over the weekend for a high-pressure and exciting affair between the Pioneers and Golden Eagles. Brockport has a 4-3 record in the Empire 8, while Utica has a 3-4 mark.
 
Following those pair of matchups, the Pioneers will face current #8 team Russell Sage to wrap up the regular season. Regardless of what happens this week, that matchup will also be huge, as the Pioneers will most likely need to defeat the Gators to cement their spot in the postseason. Before that though, it all starts with the Hartwick Hawks.
 
Bulldog Blue Bloods: Tomorrow's game will feature a quartet of players who are quite familiar with each other, as all four graduated from Foothills Council powerhouse South Glens Falls. For Hartwick, their leading scorer, Katelyn Klotz, and main goaltender, Ava Reynolds, are both Bulldog alums, while Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) and Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), two of the Pioneers' premier scoring threats, also graduated from South Glens Falls. The final season in which all these players shared the field was in 2022, when Klotz was a senior and the other three players were in their junior year. During that 2022 season, the Bulldogs went 19-1, also securing a spotless 12-0 record in the Foothills Council league, advancing all the way to the NYSPHSAA Class B Semifinals where they lost to Garden City in a shootout. Prior to that shootout defeat, the Bulldogs were 19-0, meaning that no team defeated them in open play during the entire 2022 campaign. They had also ended Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa's nine-year run of Section II Championships thanks to a 2-1 victory over them in the Section II Class B Finals. During that season, the Bulldogs scored 129 goals and only allowed 12 goals to their opponents. Benincasa, a junior at the time, led the team with 25 goals and 17 assists, securing 67 points in just 20 games. Reynolds also locked up the goal for South Glens Falls, posting 12 shutouts and grabbing 92 saves. Benincasa and Reynolds were named to the Section II First Team. Klotz and Durfey also had solid years, with the former racking up 13 goals and 11 assists, and the latter getting 10 goals and nine assists. Klotz was named to the Section II Second Team to cap off her senior year, while Durfey was named a Section II honorable mention.
 
With Benincasa and Durfey returning on attack, and Reynolds returning in goal, the Bulldogs once again went on another dominant run during 2023, finishing with a record of 17-1, while going undefeated in league play for the second year in a row. The team scored 107 times, allowing just 11 goals as Reynolds once again notched double-digit shutouts with 13. Benincasa finished with 17 goals and 10 assists, notching 44 points to finish second on the team behind current University of Albany player Lillian Willis. Durfey also supported the team well, logging four goals and four assists. That year's campaign ended with a 4-3 defeat to Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa, as Benincasa scored a goal and added an assist, although it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell in the Section II Championship.
 
Even so, the core of Benincasa, Durfey, and Reynolds recorded an otherworldly 36-2 record over their final two years of high school field hockey, going 24-0 in league play. However, tomorrow, someone will win and someone will lose, with Benincasa and Durfey looking to find a way to break through Reynolds' defense as the two teams clash in the Pioneers' final home game of 2025.
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks will head to Gaetano Stadium tomorrow with an 8-5 record, also possessing a stellar 6-1 conference mark. Hartwick is riding a six-game win streak, with their last defeat coming at the hands of SUNY Geneseo during a 2-0 loss in early September. Since then, the Hawks have outscored their opposition by a 28-3 margin, notching some signature wins over historically great sides like SUNY Cortland (2-1, OT) and St. John Fisher (5-1).
 
The Hawks are led on offense by the aforementioned Katelyn Klotz, who has found her rhythm since joining the Oneonta-based team. The South Glens Falls grad has 11 goals and four assists so far this season, and her attacking play has been complemented well by fellow junior Hope Angioletti, who has registered a team-high 10 assists this season. Angioletti is also second in scoring for Hartwick, having seven goals. Sophomores Kayla Kinkel and Kendal Woolley complete the top quartet of scorers for Hartwick, with Kinkel having six goals and Woolley having five.
 
Ava Reynolds has been a workhorse in the cage this year, starting all 13 games for the Hawks as she's racked up 103 saves and has produced a 1.41 goals allowed average. Reynolds, another former Bulldog, has also saved shots at an 85% rate this season, securing two shutouts and two combined shutouts.
 
About Brockport: The Golden Eagles are currently 7-7 on the 2025 season, having a 4-3 ledger in the Empire 8. They will head to Geneseo for a battle with the nationally-ranked Knights on Wednesday, before welcoming the Pioneers to town on Saturday afternoon.
 
Brockport has notched a few exciting wins, taking home one-goal victories over Allegany, Juniata, and Russell Sage, although their resume against top competition produces some questions, as they've been decisively defeated by the likes of Rochester, Ithaca, RPI, and Nazareth. They have only had one loss by fewer than two goals this season, possessing a record of 4-1 in games decided by two or less goals. This means that the Pioneers will need to get out to a quick lead, and look to build on it as the Golden Eagles will try to hang around as much as possible.
 
Brockport is led by a pair of players with six goals each, as sophomore Terralyn McLaughlin and freshman Elise Brady combine for the team-lead in scores. McLaughlin, a product of Holland Patent, is also the main playmaker, holding a team-high four assists to also take the team-lead in points with 16. Elise and sophomore Cassidy Pado are the only other Golden Eagles to surpass the 10-point threshold this year.
 
Junior midfielder Autumn Kramer leads a solid defense for the Golden Eagles, having three defensive saves. Behind Kramer is the goalkeeping duo of senior Katelynn Banning and sophomore Lauren Mastromarco, as the two netminders have nearly split time this season. Banning has logged 480 minutes, while Mastromarco has recorded 362 minutes. Despite Banning's edge in the minutes played and games started category, it's actually Mastromarco who has the better statistics of the two, as the sophomore stopper has a 5-1 record to pair with a 1.82 goals allowed average and 69.4% save percentage. However, Mastromarco might be sidelined due to injury, as the Golden Eagle goaltender hasn't seen any time since Brockport's game against Alfred back on October 1st.
 
After The Pair of Empire 8 Matchups: The Pioneers will wrap up their regular season next week with a Wednesday road game against Russell Sage. That game begins at 6:00 PM.
 
Tune in this week for two exciting contests!