UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's soccer team is set to host its final regular season home contest this weekend. On Saturday, October 25 the team will host SUNY Brockport with a game time from Laura M. Casamento Field set for 1pm. 
 
Follow Along: Live video for Saturday's matchup can be found here, and live stats here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team fell to the Nazareth University Golden Flyers by a score of 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Amber Piersma (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham), who recorded a team high three shot attempts in the contest, with only one shot on goal. Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) and Krista Panko (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy) each were able to rifle off a pair of shots in the contest. Six other Pioneers managed to rifle off at least one shot attempt, with none finding the back of the net. In goal for the Pioneers was Hannah Pcola (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham), who recorded a career high 14 saves in the effort.
 
The Playoff Picture: Utica has clinched a berth into the 2025 Empire 8 Women's Soccer Tournament. The tournament follows an eight team format with the top four seeds hosting the quarterfinal matchups. The Pioneers currently sit in a tie for fifth place in the conference with a 4-3-2 record in Empire 8 play, tied with Hartwick. The Pioneers can finish as high as third and as low as seventh in the regular season. When it comes to tiebreakers, the Pioneers lose the head to head over both Nazareth and Hartwick, and hold the head to head over Houghton. Since the Pioneers have tied with both Geneseo and Sage this season, the seeding would come down to a sixth tie breaker, which is points earned against the highest remaining conference teams in descending order. The best case scenario for the Pioneers would be to take all six points that are on the table with two games remaining in order to have a better shot at hosting a quarterfinal matchup. More information regarding the playoff will be announced as it is available. 
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers have consistently been in the top of the conference when it comes to scoring this season, remaining in the top three teams in scoring. Averaging 2.125 goals per game this season, and allowing less than one goal per game to opponents, the Pioneers have posted a 1.50 scoring margin, a mark good enough for third on the conference leaderboard. In offensive production, the Pioneers have fallen into the middle of the pack in both shot attempts and shots on goal, but have remained in the top of the conference in goals with 34 this season. Aside from the offensive production, goalkeeping and strong defense have been where the Pioneers have really shined this season, with Utica goalkeepers combining for a .886 save percentage on the season, a mark good enough for second in the conference to Houghton. Utica's backline has been stellar this season, and with their efforts Pioneer goalkeepers have only had to make a total of 40 saves in conference games this season, with some of the lowest saves per game in the conference at 4.44. 
 
Breaking Down Brockport: The SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles have posted an 11-1-3 record this season and are the only undefeated team remaining in Empire 8 play at an impressive 9-0. As a team this season, the Golden Eagles have been able to find the back of the net 30 times, while only allowing five goals to opponents. Brockport has also been steadily generating offensive opportunities, averaging over 15 shots per game with over 50 percent of the Brockport attempts falling on goal. To opponents, Brockport has allowed only eight shots per game with only a total of 54 shots on goal allowed this season. Leading the Golden Eagle attack has been Amelia Breton, who has recorded six goals this season, and leads the team in points with 15 after adding three assists. Megan Gerber has also been able to lead the Brockport scoring efforts with five goals this season. Four other Golden Eagles have been able to find the back of the net three times this season, with six other Golden Eagles registering at least one goal this season. Only eight players on Brockport's roster have not recorded at least one shot attempt this season, with Breton leading in both shots with 37 and shots on goal with 23. In goal for the Golden Eagles has been both Emily McCane and Madeline McCrosson, who each have appeared in 11 games this season. Each keeper has posted a goals against average under .200 with each posting a save percentage over .940. Last season, in the team's first matchup as conference opponents, and the first meeting since 2018, the Pioneers fell on the road to the Golden Eagles by a score of 2-0. 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers travel to Keuka Park, NY to take on the Keuka College Wolves in the team's final regular season contest. Game time on Wednesday, October 29 is set for 7pm.