UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's soccer team is set to begin its postseason run with a road game against St. John Fisher University on Saturday, the 1st. The teams played earlier this season in the Cardinals' third Empire 8 game of the season, and just Utica's second, with the Pioneers coming out on top 4-2. The upcoming game is scheduled to kick off at 6:00 pm at Growney Stadium.

Spectator Information:
Fans interested in attending the game MUST purchase tickets online ahead of the game. The link to purchase tickets can be found HERE. After fees are included, standard adult admission will cost $11. Entry for students with a valid ID, those aged 65 and above, and those aged 12-17 will cost $3. Entry for children 12 and under is free.

A spectator map of St. John Fisher's campus, with the relevant locations noted, can be found HERE.

Those interested in following along from home can watch the video stream HERE, and find the live stats HERE.

Knocked Down Keuka: Utica concluded their regular season with a monster 6-0 game over Keuka College. Two players scored twice, and six separate Pioneers ended with at least one point. Utica led the total shots count by 34 to six, putting 15 shots on target to Keuka's three. The squad will now look to carry this momentum into the postseason.

Going Back to Growney: The Pioneers and Cardinals have already faced off once this season, also taking place in Rochester. That game, on September 24th, saw Utica score four consecutive goals en route to a 4-2 victory. The Pioneers led 4-1 one hour and one second into the game, with SJF's last goal occurring with just over five minutes left on the clock. Five different players recorded a point in the win. The teams battled quite evenly, with the Cardinals leading the total shots count 13 to 12. Utica was able to find more accuracy, however, winning the shots on goal count 10 to 7.

Keys to the Cardinals: The #4-seeded Cardinals have played incredibly since their meeting with the Pioneers. Over the past eight games, St. John Fisher has compiled a 6-1-1 record, with a goal differential of 11-1. The team's only loss came in a 0-1 defeat by 2nd-seeded SUNY Brockport. Entering the first round matchup, the Cardinals have won four consecutive shutout games, scoring nine goals in the span. Reese Powers has gained momentum in the back half of the season, scoring four goals to tie Jack Tamburino for the team lead. Tamburino, who scored in the previous matchups with the team, has scored just once in the last eight games. Parker Stusek has played every available minute as the goalkeeper for SJF, holding a .969 save percentage.

Up Next: The Pioneers are in "win or go home" mode moving forward, requiring a victory in each game to continue to advance. With a victory over St. John Fisher, Utica is slotted to face the winner of the matchup between the #1 seed SUNY Geneseo Knights and #8 Hartwick Hawks. Be sure to follow along on Utica Athletics platforms for up-to-date information as the postseason progresses!