ROCHESTER, NY - Utica University's men's soccer team began its postseason run by traveling to face the #4-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals in the first round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. St. John Fisher struck early, but five goals within the first half gave Utica control of the game before the halftime break. The squad will now travel to face the #1-seeded SUNY Geneseo Knights in a contest next Wednesday.
Five Pioneers ended the night with at least one point, led by
Byamungu Mugushu's (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) five. Mugushu scored two goals in 30 seconds, including the game-winner, to begin Utica's five-goal run. Freshmen
Henry Schweitzer (Clinton, NY/Clinton) and
Carter Cookinham (Poland, NY/Poland), as well as junior
Mason Bucher (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point), tallied the remaining Utica goals. Mugushu added an assist on Schweitzer's goal, with
Noah Nassberg (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) assisting on Bucher's.
Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) tended the goal for the orange and blue, saving five of the six shots on goal that he faced.
The Cardinal's lone goal was scored by Jack Tamburino, who also scored in the previous matchup between the two teams. Jack Walsh was the only SJF player with more than one shot on goal, taking two of the team's six. Parker Stusek played the full game in goal for the home squad, making four saves.
St. John Fisher's Tamburino struck first, scoring exactly eight minutes into the game. Utica looked to quickly swing momentum back their way, with Mugushu scoring two and a half minutes later at the 10:23 mark. Exactly 30 seconds later, he tacked on another to give the Pioneers the lead and score what held to be the game-winning goal.
Utica scored at a consistent pace over the remaining time in the first half, with goals coming at the 24:52, 31:33, and 41:58 marks. Schweitzer scored the team's third goal, followed by Cookinham, with Bucher scoring the final goal of the game. The hosts had opportunities in the second half, taking a total of six shots, but were only able to put two on target, which were both saved by Accetta.
The Pioneers will continue their postseason push by challenging the #1-seeded SUNY Geneseo Knights. The game will be hosted on Wednesday, November 5th, in Geneseo, with a time yet to be announced. Be sure to follow along on Utica Athletics platforms for up-to-date information!
