UTICA, NY - With seven games left to go in the regular season, the stakes are rising for the Utica University field hockey team. Their postseason hopes will be on the line over the next few weeks, as the matchups only get larger and more impactful. This week, the Pioneers have the home-field advantage for a pair of must-win meetings against Nazareth and Alfred University. The Golden Flyers will head to Gaetano tomorrow night at 7:00 PM for a late-night fight, while the Saxons will square off with Utica at 4:00 PM on Saturday in the first-ever matchup between the two programs. Also on Saturday, the Pioneers will honor their four spectacular seniors! You can stop by before the game for the special Senior Day ceremony, which will begin around 3:45. This week is a big week for field hockey in Utica. Get caught up on all the action down below, and stop by to support the team during this week's pair of high-pressure contests!
 
You can stream this week's games by heading to the links below, or by clicking the "Watch" tab on our athletics homepage
 
Vs Nazareth Streaming Link (Wednesday): https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
Vs Alfred University Streaming Link (Saturday): https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
You can follow live stats for this week's matchups by heading to these links, or by clicking the "Live Stats" link on either matchup in our field hockey schedule page:
 
Vs Nazareth University Live Stats Link (Saturday): https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Vs Alfred University Live Stats Link (Saturday): https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Recapping Last Week's Action: The Pioneers had only one matchup last week, a Saturday showdown with Keuka over in the Wolves' Den. In the team's only contest of the week, they defeated their conference opposition by a decisive 3-0 scoreline. Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) scored a pair of goals, while Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) added two assists, helping the team achieve its first Empire 8 victory of the year. You can find a link to highlights of that game, as well as some of the Pioneers' other best games of the year, by clicking the links below.
 
At Morrisville Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQoUYJK_uxo&t=7s
 
Vs Houghton Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6BogAU56E&t=101s
 
At Keuka Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJCDAdoOUhw
 
Utica Field Hockey Class of 2025: This Saturday, a quartet of Pioneer seniors will be honored for their dedication and commitment to the program. The team's two captains, Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Samantha Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls), along with fellow seniors Makayla Arnold (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and Kassidy Gloude (Camden, NY/Camden) will be recognized ahead of Saturday's matchup with Alfred University. These four players have each played a big role over the years and have all been with the program since the beginning of their collegiate careers. Stop by on Saturday at around 3:45 PM for a special Senior Day ceremony!
 
Stepping Up: The past few games have seen some Pioneer underclassmen step up in big moments, with three different players having breakout moments during the team's recent three-game stretch. Aside from Fragapane, one of the senior leaders, the other players who have powered the offense have come from all different classes, with a junior, a sophomore, and even a freshman putting together some stellar outings over the past few weeks.
 
Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) has emerged as the team's top scorer this season, massively improving after two years spent in a supporting role. The junior attacker has racked up all of her points in the past three games, getting eleven points thanks to five goals and an assist during that span. This comes after a sophomore season in which the Greenwich native scored twice and assisted three times, totaling seven points. Her past three games have already surpassed her career total in points, as she had eight career points through her sophomore season. Spiezio will look to keep this meteoric rise going against a couple of Empire 8 opponents and will look to use her speed and efficiency on the counterattack to cause even more headaches for opposing defenses.
 
Supporting Spiezio's scoring outburst over the past few weeks has been sophomore midfielder Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), who has tallied one goal and two assists in her past three games. Her four points have helped the Pioneers to two wins in their past three matchups, and she's done especially well as a passer, helping to create open looks within the circle. Durfey grabbed two goals and an assist last season, and is on track to improve in the points category during her sophomore year, nearly equalling those totals in half the time.
 
Delaney Stephan (Litchfield, NY/Mount Markham) entered the scoring ranks this past weekend, becoming the first freshman to get in the scoring column during the 2025 campaign. In addition to scoring her first collegiate goal at Keuka, the local product out of nearby Litchfield also grabbed an assist in the Pioneers' win at Morrisville.
 
All three of these Pioneer players have stepped up in big moments this season and will continue to look for improvement as the year progresses.
 
Empire 8 Race: This year's Empire 8 Tournament will feature six of the conference's 11 teams, with the top two seeds getting a first-round bye and the lower four seeds battling it out in the first round of play. The Pioneers currently sit just two spots outside of the top six and will be looking for some statement victories in order to cement their spot in the tournament. With seven games left, the team will be looking to nab some wins over top teams in an effort to pull those sides back down the standings column. With matchups scheduled against current #2 Brockport, #3 Nazareth, #4 St. John Fisher, #5 Hartwick, and #6 Russell Sage, the team has numerous opportunities to improve its position and position itself in the tournament picture. The games against the aforementioned teams will be of the utmost importance, although a pair of matchups against #9 Elmira and #10 Alfred University will provide the team with an opportunity to further distance itself from the outside pack. Regardless, with seven contests to go, the team has officially entered the most exciting and pivotal time of the season.
 
You can view the current Empire 8 standings by clicking here: https://empire8.com/standings.aspx?path=fhockey
 
Two of these matchups are coming up this week! Learn about each team below:
 
Nazareth Scout: The Nazareth Golden Eagles currently sit at 6-4, with a solid 3-1 record in Empire 8 Conference play. They won their first three conference games, starting with a 9-0 victory against Alfred, followed by a 7-1 win against Keuka, and then a 3-1 defeat of Houghton. They just had their first conference defeat at the hands of Hartwick by a final score of 4-0 in favor of the Hawks.
 
Leading the attack for the Golden Flyers is sophomore forward Michaela Cushman. Cushman, in nine games played, is leading the team with seven goals and three assists for seventeen points. The Holland Patent native is accompanied well by two of her upperclassmen teammates.
 
The second option for Nazareth is graduate student Hannah Janes. The Cato native has five goals and six assists for sixteen points in her ten games played. Alongside her is Audra Mieczkowski, a senior from Vestal, New York, who has tallied seven goals and two assists for 16 points herself.
 
In the cage for the Golden Flyers is Lauren Bachner, a senior from Gorham, Maine. In her ten starts for Nazareth, Bachner has accumulated 84 saves while putting up a respectable .857 save percentage.
 
You can view the game program for Wednesday by clicking here: https://uticapioneers.com/documents/2025/10/6/FH_10.8.25_Program.pdf
 
Alfred University Scout: The Alfred University Saxons are in their first year as a field hockey program. They currently sit at 0-9 and are 0-4 in conference play. They just played their first-ever home game at Yunevich Stadium, unfortunately suffering a tough 4-0 loss against Elmira.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Saxons is first-year player River DeMarco from Putnam Valley, New York, who has scored one goal in three games played, totaling two points. Alongside her is Sydney Angelo, a sophomore from Windsor, New York, who has started all nine games for Alfred and has one assist for one point.
 
In net for the Saxons is the duo of junior SadieLyn Combs and junior Molly Howlett. Combs, a Harpursville, New York native, has recorded 30 saves in seven games played for Alfred, posting a .577 save percentage. Howlett, a native of  Brockport, New York, recorded 70 saves in eight games played, posting a .654 save percentage.
 
After Saturday's Senior Day: The team will hit the road next week, with games scheduled out of town on Wednesday and Saturday. On Wednesday, the team will head over to Rochester for a meeting with St. John Fisher. That game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. On Saturday, the team will travel to take on Elmira in a morning matchup, beginning at 11:00 AM.
 
Head over to Gaetano Stadium this week to catch the team in action!