UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team took on another tough opponent on Wednesday night in their final home tilt of the regular season. Up against the Hartwick Hawks, who possessed a 6-1 Empire 8 record prior to the matchup, the Pioneers once again were up for the challenge. Thanks to a superb second-quarter score by Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), the Pioneers held serve up until halftime, with the game knotted up at 1 apiece entering the break. Another rough second half did the Pioneers in, though, as they fell to the powerful Hawks by a 4-1 final.

With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 4-9 and dropped to 3-5 in conference play. However, they still have an excellent chance to make the Empire 8 Tournament, as two wins over Brockport and Russell Sage will put them in a prime position for a postseason berth. 

Hartwick moved to 9-5 on the season, also improving to 7-1 in conference play. 

Spiezio nabbed the only score for the Pioneers, breaking through the entire Hawks backline and she weaved through defenders to plant a breakaway goal. Spiezio's run started right at midfield, and continued all the way up until the payoff shot. 

The Pioneers managed to hang around despite constant pressure from the Hartwick offense. The Hawks used a blend of quick passing movements and interesting aerial attacks to keep the orange and blue defense on their toes, but the Pioneers managed to ward off nearly every attack thrown their way, especially in the first half.

The trio of Ryleigh Johnson (Camden, NY/Camden), Vanessa Leon (Riverhead, NY/Riverhead), and Keeley Savona (Kingston, NY/Kingston) handled business throughout the majority of the matchup, with Johnson meeting the attackers and the other two defenders each recording a defensive side on each side of the formation. 

Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) was also active in the contest, saving five shots and also covering the aerial attempts well. 

The Pioneers will look to rebound this week at Brockport in a game that will be a big decider for the Empire 8 Tournament. Brockport currently sits in the last tournament spot at #6. The Pioneers have a chance to leap over the Golden Eagles with a win on Saturday, and then a chance to cement their spot with a victory at Russell Sage the following Wednesday.

Saturday's game at Brockport starts at 3:00 PM, while next Wednesday's matchup at Russell Sage is slated for a 6:00 PM start time.