UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team is set to battle in two matches this week, one road game with St. John Fisher before a home matchup with Elmira College. The St. John Fisher game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm on the 24th. The home game wth Elmira will take place at Laura M. Casamento field at 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 27th. 

Follow Along: Links to Wednesday's video stream can be found HERE, with live stats HERE. The video stream for Saturday's game can be found HERE, with live stats found HERE.

How E8 Play Started: Last Saturday, the 20th, the Pioneers traveled to Houghton, NY, for a matchup with the Houghton University Highlanders. Utica held the lead late into the game, but a Houghton goal with 2:17 left in the game evened the score at 2. The knotted score held over the short remainder of the game, giving Utica its first draw of the season. The Pioneers now stand at a 3-2-1 overall record through one conference game.

Mugushu Magic: A major storyline of the men's soccer team this preseason was the return of Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes), a former star player for the Pioneers who was not with the team in the 2024 season. Mugushu has fully lived up to the hype that many had, as he has begun his season with a point streak through all four games he's appeared in so far this season. His three goals and eight points lead the Pioneers. His numbers are not only strong within his own squad, as he also leads the Empire 8 in both goals per game (0.75) and points per game (2.00).

Cardinal Check-In: The St. John Fisher Cardinals have come out to a rocky start to their season. The team is winless through seven games, holding a 0-6-1 record. Their sole draw came in their opening E8 matchup with Elmira in a 3-3 match. Juniors Jack Tamburino and Collin Gannon have led St. John Fisher's offense in the early season. Tamburnio is the only Cardinal to score a second goal so far this season, with Gannon being the only other player to be involved in multiple scoring plays, tallying one goal and one assist. Freshman Parker Stusek has appeared in goal the most, recording a 2.60 GAA and a .618 save percentage through 450 minutes played.

Scouting the Soaring Eagles: The Elmira Soaring Eagles have looked strong out of the gate, falling in just one of their first seven games. They have struggled in close games, with each of their last five games resulting in either a draw or a one-goal victory. They won their season opener 5-1 and lost their following game 0-3 to give themselves a 3-1-3 record overall this season. Pietro Gallina and Jose Navea Corporan have led Elmira, with each scoring three goals. Gallina has also assisted on one goal, giving him the team lead with 7 points. Daniel Mercedes has been a strong teammate, assisting on three goals and scoring one himself. Juan Carlos Cruz Gandia has played the most of Elmira's three keepers to appear so far, playing to a 2.00 GAA, .500 save percentage, and 2-1-1 record.

Up Next: Utica will play in two games next week. On Wednesday, October 1st, the team will take a short trip to face off with SUNY Poly at 5:00 pm. They will follow that game up with a home match at 1:00 pm on Saturday, the 4th, with SUNY Geneseo.