KANSAS CITY, MO - For the second year running, Brooke Barbuto and the Utica women's soccer program have embodied the spirit of competition and fair play, receiving their second consecutive Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award from United Soccer Coaches. 

In all, 45 men's and women's teams received either the Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze version of the College Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes teams that exhibit fair play, sporting behavior and adherence to the laws of the game at all three divisions of NCAA competition, as reflected by the number of yellow caution cards or red ejection cards they are shown by referees throughout the season based on the number of cards accumulated divided by the number of games played (i.e., 5 cards divided by 20 games played is 0.25 or 25%, which qualifies for a Silver Award).

A complete list of recipients and level explanation follows:

Platinum: No cards accumulated during the season
Gold: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 1-10%
Silver: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 11-30%
Bronze: Percentage of cards accumulated during the season ranging from 31-50%

The Pioneers were honored with the silver tier of the award, only accruing four yellow cards and ZERO red cards throughout the course of the season.

This is the second straight year in which Coach Barbuto and the team have been honored by United Soccer Coaches for their integrity and fair play.