This weekend, Pioneer field hockey returns. The Pioneers will open up the 2025 campaign with their annual four-team kickoff tournament starting this Saturday at St. Lawrence. After graduating key players at each position group, this season will be an exciting undertaking, with a plethora of talented underclassmen looking to fill important roles and start etching their name into the Pioneer record books. It will also be the team's 25th season of play, with the program celebrating a quarter century of excellence and success at Utica University during the upcoming year! Check out the 2025 Utica field hockey season preview down below to view this year's storylines and regular season slate! 

Coming up this Weekend: The Pioneers will be in action on Saturday and Sunday, facing off against Oneonta and St. Lawrence in back-to-back days at the North Country Invitational in Canton, New York. This tournament features a set schedule, with the Pioneers slated to face the Red Dragons at 2:00 PM on Saturday and the host Saints at 2:00 PM on Sunday. Both games will take place at Hall-Leet Stadium. 

Both games at the North Country Invitational can be streamed by following this link: https://saintsathletics.com/coverage

Live stats can be viewed for both games by following this link: https://saintsathletics.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary

2024 Recap: Last year was a shift for the Pioneers as they saw some veteran players feature heavily, but eventually make way for a new generation of underclassmen towards season's end. The team finished with a 4-12 record, but had many great moments during the year, including three record-breaking victories, a last-second penalty stroke game winner, and many standout moments for both the old and new guard. The team ended the season with 42 goals, staying close in many of their contests as they endured a single-digit goals deficit at -9 (51 allowed). The squad will push for a positive differential this season and look to get back to the Empire 8 Tournament after five-straight postseason appearances from 2019-2023. The Pioneers were outshot by a 252-216 margin last season, but were very precise with their targets, notching a shots-on-goal percentage of 70.8 compared to 67.5% for the opposition. 

Key Losses: Last season, the Pioneers were headed by a veteran at each level of the field, with Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) on attack, Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) patrolling the midfield, Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) spearheading the defense, and Hannah Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls) in the cage. These four players led the team for the beginning portion of the year as the gameplan featured them almost every outing. However, despite these players being in starring roles initially, the Pioneer youth also began to feature extensively by the end of the season. Even so, Pisano and Mix combined for 22 goals and 11 assists, with their graduation opening up a big opportunity for some new players to step up as the Pioneers' next top scoring threats.

The Next Generation: A prime candidate for the role of top scorer is someone who cemented herself last season with a rookie year that saw her tally nine goals and three assists: Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls). The sophomore from Gansevoort, New York, managed to notch her first career goal in only her second game against eventual SUNYAC finalist New Paltz, although the latter half of her rookie campaign is what has generated a great deal of hype for the attacker's second season. Last year, Benincasa managed to slot away a game-winning penalty stroke to put the Pioneers over Keystone at the midway mark of the season. Following this standout moment, she went on a raucous run over the final nine games, picking up a point in six of those matchups to grab six goals and three assists during the superb stretch. Her outstanding rookie year was cemented with a hat trick performance against Elmira on the Pioneers' Senior Day; a three goal, one assist outing that contributed to the Pioneers' record-tying 10-goal performance. Benincasa would go on to finish tied for 12th on the Empire 8 scoring charts, with all but one player ahead of her appearing in more games. She also ranked top 10 in the conference for shots on goal with 36 (an average of 2.25 per game).

Benincasa isn't alone aboard the hype train, though, as the Pioneers also return standouts at each level of the field. 

Former Rome Free Academy standout Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) is back in the lineup after slotting in as the Pioneers' fourth leading scorer in 2024. The attacker will feature in a big leadership role this coming season, repping the C as one of the team's two captains while also serving as Utica's SAAC President for the 2025-2026 school year. The Senior collapsed the cage last year on numerous occasions, logging a two-goal outing against Elmira and snatching a hat trick against Keuka. The Pioneers will look for her strength in the circle to be a deciding force, hoping that a more featured role could possibly lead to a double-digit scoring output. Fragapane's potential to reach this mark is certainly there, as she looks to secure some key points alongside her co-captain, Samantha Young (Jordanville, NY/Little Falls). 

Speaking of Young, the team's other Senior leader will look to lock down the midfield this season and support the attack after scoring once and gathering three assists last year. Young was an all-around standout last season, supporting the attack, being disruptive in the open field, and even being a reliable defensive option as she tallied a defensive save. With the departure of Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden), Young will immediately slide into the top midfielder role. Her leadership will also be on full display, with the newly minted captain looking to organize the troops and help a young Pioneer team find its rhythm early on. Her experience will also be integral to the team's performance, as she logged nearly 200 more minutes last season than the next closest returner. 

Young will be flanked in the midfield by a trio of solid returning talent, including Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), and Kassidy Gloude (Camden, NY/Camden). Durfey will continue to be a tactical focus for the Pioneers on offense after a rookie year that saw her immediately become the team's main penalty corner initiator. The Gansevoort, New York native grabbed two goals and an assist during her debut year, and will look for even more points in a supportive role from her midfield spot. Spiezio was also solid in the open field, racking up over 600 minutes of play and putting together a two-goal, three-assist campaign in 2024. The final midfield force, Gloude, will also look to continue enforcing the Pioneer gameplan as she returns 652 minutes of midfield experience. The Camden native played in more of a defensive midfield role last season, grabbing a single assist. She'll continue to disrupt enemy gameplans this season as one of the Pioneers' four seniors alongside Fragapane, Young, and Makalya Arnold. 

On the topic of Arnold, she will feature in an attacking role and looks poised for a breakout year in her Senior season. The Whitesboro graduate will join Benincasa and Fragapane up top. 

On defense, the Pioneers will turn a group of underclassmen highlighted by Ryleigh Johnson (Camden, NY/Camden), Keeley Savona (Kingston, NY/Kingston), and Vanessa Leon (Riverhead, NY/Riverhead) as they look to collectively fill the openings generated by the graduation of Dakota Alexander (Medina, NY/Medina) and the program's all-time defensive saves leader in Madison Ranalli (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse). Johnson is a promising pick to shoulder the lion's share of the goal line leadership, with the Junior racking up three defensive saves last season. Johnson, another Camden product, eclipsed the 600-minute mark in 2024 and is set to play an even more significant role in front of goal. Savona and Leon will also be points of emphasis in the Pioneer half after combining for 600 minutes of play and will be tasked with shutting down the opposition's top attackers on the outside. 

The Pioneers' main goaltender in 2025 was a vital part of last year's stellar rookie sensations. New Jersey native Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) will slide in as the main cagetender during the 2025 year after slotting in late in the 2024 campaign. ChinQuee played in eight contests, logging two starts against Union and Brockport late in the season. She allowed just 11 goals over 275 total minutes at the back, good for a goals allowed average of 2.40. She also stopped 30 out of 57 total shots in 2024, ending with a 73.2 save percentage, which would have placed her fifth overall in the Empire 8 with a qualifying amount of playing time. ChinQuee will look to build on this solid debut in her Sophomore year, rounding out a group of second-year athletes who will look to find starring roles in this season's squad. 

The Pioneers will also search for contributions from a plethora of other primed returners, including Deanna Jackson (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport), Sydney Baptie (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), Emma Parker (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and Mackenzie Lyons (Clayville, NY/Sauquoit Valley). Mighty midfielder Alexandria Dennin (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) also returns to the squad, but will start 2025 on the sidelines due to an injury.

Rookie Rundown: In addition to their returning youth, the Pioneers will also welcome a healthy number of rookies to this year's team, adding six first years to the squad. These players bring lots of local talent together for the Pioneers, with four of those six freshmen graduating from NYSPHSAA Section III representatives, and one each from Section IV and Long Island. 

Delaney Stephan (Litchfield, NY/Mount Markham) arrives from nearby Litchfield, New York, and will look to make a mark in the midfield. The former Mustang will take her talents to Utica University after a storied high school career that saw her pick up some special field hockey honors, such as 2024 Section III Field Hockey All-Star, 2024 CSC First Team All-Star, and a 2023 CSC First Team All-Star during her Junior season. Stephan racked up 15 points last fall for Mount Markham, scoring five goals and assisting five others. 

Stephan won't be the only rookie patrolling the open field, as she will be joined by VVS grad Izzy Acee (Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill), who brings a championship pedigree to the team after helping the Red Devils to a Section III Class B Championship after a 2-1 defeat of Whitesboro last fall. With Acee helping lead the way, VVS achieved a 14-6-1 record last season, advancing all the way to the New York State Class B Quarterfinals. 

The Pioneers found another one of their first years from further down the thruway, with Ryleigh Marsh (Oneida, NY/Oneida) joining the attack after a successful Senior year at Oneida. She scored three goals and assisted two others for the Express during the 2024 campaign. 

Two freshman goalies will don the Moose this season, with Alannah Nole (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) and Sophia Weiss (Huntington, NY/Huntington) both joining the ranks. Nole, from neighboring New Hartford, adds a ton of experience to the Pioneer goalkeeping unit, getting a ton of high school accolades, including winning the 2025 Section 3 TVL Lacrosse Championship, receiving the 2024 Gold Glove Award for Field Hockey, 2023 2nd-Team All-Star for Field Hockey, and the 2023 Heart & Hustle Award. After a great playoff run, Nole's Spartans fell in the 2025 Section III Semifinals to Acee's Red Devils. Weiss, the other rookie goaltender, joins the Pioneers from out in Suffolk County. She stacked up the athletic and academic accolades while repping Huntington High, including being a Four-Time NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete Award winner, winning Huntington's Field Hockey MVP Award in 2025, being one of the Newsday Long Island's Top 50 Field Hockey Goalies in 2024, along with an NFHCA Scholar Athlete and NFHCA Scholar of Distinction in 2023. Both goalies will bolster the Pioneers' cage defense during this upcoming year.

The team's sole rookie defender joins the team after graduating from Section IV Sidney High School. India Insinga (Unadilla, NY/Sidney) will join Utica after a Senior year which saw her take home two Sidney High School athletics awards for her play on the field hockey team (2025 Nate Lull Sidney High School Girls Field Hockey Player of the Year, 2025 Andrew Burpoe Heart Award. She also played club field hockey for the Southern Tier Storm from 2022-2025, bringing a wealth of experience to the Pioneer defense. 

These rookies will vastly add to the Pioneer talent pool, and will look for guidance from an experienced coaching staff led by…

At the Helm: Head Coach Nikki Hobaica enters her 10th season leading the program in 2025, reaching double digit seasons in the spot during the Pioneers' 25th season of play. Hobaica, a remarkable part of the program's history as both a player and coach, will look to make it back to the Empire 8 Tournament after reaching the postseason in five-straight seasons from 2019-2023. Hobaica has made the Empire 8 Tournament a total of six times, racking up 58 victories during her tenure. Hobaica, along with assistant coaches Rylee Calidonna and new addition Emma Clark, will look to help a young Pioneer team find its groove early on in the season. Below is the opposition they'll face along the way. 

Surveying the 2025 Slate (Home Games are Highlighted in Orange):
Non-Conference Contests:
Vs SUNY Oneonta (at St. Lawrence) | August 30th at 2:00 PM
At St. Lawrence | August 31st at 2:00 PM
At RPI | September 13th at 12:00 PM
Vs Skidmore | September 16th at 4:00 PM
At Morrisville | September 23rd at 4:00 PM

The Pioneers will face a non-conference schedule stuffed by SUNYAC and Liberty League opposition, beginning with their annual kickoff tournament (the North Country Classic) up in Canton this weekend. Following their contests against the Red Dragons and Saints, the Pioneers will get an early break week, as they'll have a 13-day gap between games 2 and 3. After their "bye" week, the team will gear up to face two powerful Liberty League foes in RPI and Skidmore. The game against Skidmore in mid-September will be the Pioneers' home-opener. Finally, after facing Geneseo to open conference play, the Pioneers will take to the road for one final non-conference clash with SUNY Morrisville. 

Empire 8 Contests:
Vs SUNY Geneseo (Mental Health Awareness Game) | September 20th at 3:00 PM
Vs Houghton University | September 27th at 5:00 PM
At Keuka College | October 4th at 12:00 PM
Vs Nazareth University | October 8th at 7:00 PM
Vs Alfred University (Senior Day) | October 11th at 4:00 PM
At St. John Fisher | October 15th at 7:00 PM
At Elmira College | October 18th at 11:00 AM
Vs Hartwick College | October 22nd at 4:00 PM
At SUNY Brockport | October 25th at 3:00 PM
Vs Russell Sage College (at University of Albany) | October 29th at 6:00 PM

The Pioneers will face the usual conference competition this season, opening Empire 8 play with the #21 pre-season nationally ranked SUNY Geneseo Knights. That first conference contest will also be the Pioneers' Mental Health Awareness Game. Later in conference play, the Pioneers will honor their Seniors against new Empire 8 representative, Alfred University. The Senior Day ceremony will take place prior to that day's matchup, which is scheduled for a 4:00 PM start time. Check out our weekly previews during the season to get information on the rest of the Pioneers' conference competition in 2025.

Record Watch: With the Pioneers graduating some key assets this past offseason, the opportunity is now very present for some players to begin climbing the record books. Although not yet reaching the top 10 in any total category, Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) does currently have a hold on many of the "per game" sections of the career record book. Benincasa currently ranks inside the top 10 in program history for points per game (10th - 1.31), goals per game (9th - 0.56), and shots on goal per game (4th - 2.25). She will have to keep up her production for the next few years in order to cement her spot on those top 10s, but with an even more featured role, the superstar sophomore has the potential to do just that. She could also start creeping up on the career totals categories with a productive 2025 as well, needing 32 points (21 in 2024), 14 goals (9 in 2024), and 10 assists (3 in 2024) to appear on any of those all-time categories. On defense, Ryleigh Johnson's (Camden, NY/Camden) solid effort in 2024 places her tied for 11th in program history for defensive saves. Even just one such tally in 2025 will push her into a tie for eighth (seven total defensive saves). Johnson needs eight defensive saves to capture sole possession of second in program history. Also, keep an eye on Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), who certainly has the potential to feature in the goaltender section with a solid Sophomore campaign. 

Scouting the Red Dragons: Utica and Oneonta had an epic start to the 2024 season, battling to a near standstill as a Red Dragon goal in the 38th minute ultimately gave them the victory. The game was exciting and even throughout, though, with Oneonta taking an early lead before Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) netted an equalizer just after halftime. Oneonta barely took the edge on total shots and penalty corners in the contest, beating out the Pioneers 16 -13 on shots (9-5 in shots on goal) and 17-11 in penalty corners. Both teams also had their chances, with the fourth quarter in particular providing lots of fireworks. 

Oneonta finished 2024 with a 9-9 record, going 2-2 in SUNYAC play and falling to New Paltz in the SUNYAC Semifinals. Both players involved in the first goal of last year's opening contest won't return to Oneonta this year; however, both players involved in the game-winner over Utica (Abigail Draper, Alexandra Howell) will suit up for the Red Dragons in 2025. Howell, in particular, will be a point of emphasis for the Pioneer defense, as she was Oneonta's leading scorer in 2024, tallying 13 goals and six assists in her Sophomore campaign. The Red Dragons also return their third leading scorer in Senior Molly Miller (nine goals, three assists), and their seventh leading scorer in Senior Olivia Bonelli (two goals). With their second, fourth, fifth, and sixth top point getters out, the Red Dragons will also look for more production on offense this coming year. 

The cage will remain consistent for Oneonta in 2025, with last year's amin goaltender Maura Leib back in action. In 2024, she was a machine for the Red Dragons, logging an incredible 1,111 minutes of action and stopping 154 shots at a 77% clip. Her goals allowed average of 2.48 was solid, and she'll look for a repeat performance in 2025. 

Scouting the Saints: The Pioneers didn't face the Saints during the season's opening weekend last year, instead voyaging to Canton in mid-September as a part of a month-long road trip. In that contest, the Pioneers found themselves in a 3-0 hole early, before Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) netted two quick goals within six minutes of each other to pull them back early in the fourth quarter. The Orange and Blue nearly found an equalizer, too, receiving a penalty corner and getting a dangerous shot off directly after the restart. In the end, the Saints would find a fourth and finish the match with minutes remaining in the final frame. 

St. Lawrence finished with a 5-11 record last season, going 2-5 in the always challenging Liberty League. Despite their record, they fought hard against some top teams, losing 1-2 in two separate games against ranked opposition (vs #22 Hamilton, at #21 Rochester in 2OT). St. Lawrence should be a powerful side this season, returning seven of their eight top scorers from last season, including Caroline Hamilton (11g, 4a), Lily Gubbins (9g, 3a), Maggie Spire (3g, 4a), Maddy Shaw (2g, 4a), Maja Helmer (2g, 3a), Hannah Gubbins (2g, 1a), and Suzanne L'Hommedieu (1g, 2a). 

At goaltender, the Saints will most likely turn to rookie guardian Petra Gamage to protect the cage, after utilizing many different options at the position last season. Elizabeth Walsh, who started five games in goal during 2024, retains her second number, so she may be in line to protect the cage depending on which option the Saints choose to go with. 

After Opening Weekend: Following the North Country Invitational this upcoming weekend, the Pioneers will be on a 13-day break before facing off with Liberty League side RPI. That game will take place at Harkness Field in Troy, New York, on Saturday, September 13th. 

Be sure to tune in this weekend as the Pioneers kick off their 25th season against SUNY Oneonta!

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