MORRISVILLE, NY - The stampede was officially on for Utica field hockey during their meeting with Morrisville in today's Tuesday tilt. Despite some late pushback from the hosts, two
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) goals would seal the match in the Pioneers' favor as they sped past the SUNYAC side by a 7-3 final.
Fragapane topped the scoring charts in Tuesday's contest, showcasing her ability to explode on offense as she tallied two goals and two assists in a stellar six-point outing. The senior captain did massive damage on the back post, making the Mustangs pay on numerous occasions from the spot. She was also adept at finding good outlets during the matchup, sending in two wonderful crosses from the right side that were finished off and guided into the cage.
Matching Fragapane atop the scoring charts was
Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), who sped up and down the field throughout the entire match, being rewarded for her hard with with two goals and an assist. Spiezio's five-point outing came due to her superior play on the break, as she led the charge in the open field multiple times, receiving the ball from the back line and driving past droves of Mustang defenders to produce scoring opportunities or draw penalty corners.
Rounding out the scoring was the trio of
Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls),
Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), and
Sydney Baptie (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), who each notched a single goal to contribute to the team's seven-goal outburst. For Baptie, that goal was also her first career score.
Delaney Stephan (Litchfield, NY/Mount Markham) rounded out the point-getters for the Pioneers, grabbing an assist during the action.
Utica had an extremely efficient day on offense, as they outshot Morrisville by a 20-9 margin. That alone is not what made the performance impressive, though, as the team managed to steer all 20 of its attempts on-frame, beating the Mustangs in the shots on goal category by a 20-7 gap. The Pioneers' 100% shot rate was the main contributor to the seven-goal showing, and showed how dangerous the offense can be when shooting at a high volume.
Morrisville took the edge in penalty corners, earning 17 to Utica's 13. However, the Pioneers defended the opposing opportunities well, allowing just one score during those 17 defenses.
Ismiah ChinQuee (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) got the start in net for the Pioneers, picking up her first win of the season while stopping four shots.
The Pioneers came out of the gate hot, netting the first two goals in the game to create a 2-0 gap by the end of the first 15 minutes. Morrisville would push back during the next 30 minutes, matching the orange and blue as both teams would score three times during that span. Fragapane would net two daggers in the final 10 minutes, though, as the Pioneers would weather a third-quarter push from the Mustangs to secure their first victory of the 2025 season.
The Pioneers will now venture back into conference play, turning their attention to the Houghton Highlanders, who are slated to visit Gaetano Stadium on Saturday for a Homecoming showdown. That game is set to begin at 5:00 PM.
