UTICA, NY - Four straight!
Pioneer Field Hockey continued its incredible late-season run on Saturday afternoon, earning a 3-2 Senior Day victory over SUNY Brockport at Gaetano Stadium for its fourth consecutive win. The Pioneers improved to 4-3 in Empire 8 play while snapping a four-game losing streak against the Golden Eagles, earning their first victory over Brockport in the last five meetings in dominating fashion as the team spent hte majority of the afternoon in its attacking half.
Freshman Adele Crayton (Hudson, NY/Taconic Hills) was the star of the afternoon, factoring into all three Pioneer goals with one score and two assists. Building on her game-winning goal against Nazareth earlier in the week, Crayton has had a stellar run since breaking through against Keuka at the beginning of the team's win streak, leading Utica with 10 points over her last four games, recording four goals and two assists during that stretch. Fellow rookie Gabby Chase (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) added an assist, while senior Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) and Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) each found the back of the cage. The Pioneers also recognized their seniors before the contest, including Spiezio, along with defender Ryleigh Johnson (Camden, NY/Camden), who organized a spectacular defensive showing, also securing a defensive save in the victory.
The Pioneers came out firing, scoring twice in the opening quarter to seize control early. At the 6:40 mark, Crayton opened the scoring off an assist from Chase, planting a rebound to give Utica a 1-0 advantage. Less than two minutes later, Crayton turned playmaker, launching a shot off the Brockport goalie's pads to set up Spiezio for her fourth goal of the season at 8:34 to double the Pioneer lead.
Brockport answered late in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 28:26 as they scored on their only shot of the entire first half. The Golden Eagles attempted to continue their momentum with a press, but the Pioneers maintained their advantage into the second half before adding an important insurance goal late in the third quarter.
At 44:59, Crayton recorded her second assist of the afternoon, intercepting a ball deep in the Brockport defense and finding Benincasa on the break for the junior's third goal of the season and restoring Utica's two-goal cushion at 3-1. Brockport responded at 51:42 to make it a one-goal game once again, setting up a tense final stretch. However, the Pioneer defense held firm over the closing minutes, however, keeping the Golden Eagles from finding an equalizer and securing the 3-2 victory thanks to stellar clearance by Keeley Savona (Kingston, NY/Kingston) and Olivia Davis (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), with the latter blocking multiple shots close to the goal despite their aerial nature, giving 110% effort to halt Brockport and notch a massive win for the program.
The Pioneers continued to control the action throughout the contest, outshooting Brockport 18-4 and holding an 11-3 advantage in penalty corners. Goalkeeper Alannah Nole (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) played all 60 minutes and made one save as Utica earned its fourth straight victory. Since taking over in goal at midseason, Nole has posted a 4-3 record with a 1.88 goals-against average.
Utica's recent run has been dominant on both ends of the field. Across its four-game winning streak, the Pioneers have outshot their opponents 77-17, including a 59-14 advantage in shots on goal, while outscoring them 17-6 and out-assisting them 17-4. Crayton leads the way with four goals and two assists during the streak, followed by Chase with three goals and three assists, Benincasa with three goals and two assists, Gianna Marcantonio (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) with two goals and four assists, and Spiezio with one goal and five assists. Three of the top four point-producers during the streak are freshmen, highlighting the impact of Utica's young core.
The Pioneers have also continued an impressive team-wide trend in the passing game, recording an assist on all 29 of their goals this season. Saturday's three goals were each assisted, further demonstrating the unselfish play that has fueled the team's recent success.
With the win, Utica moves to 4-9 overall and 4-3 in Empire 8 play, continuing its climb in the conference standings as they now sit in fifth. The team will have two chances next week to increase their conference standings, taking on the current #6 St. John Fisher (5-8 (2-3 Empire 8)) in the final regular season home game at Gaetano Stadium on Wednesday, before traveling to current #3 Hartwick (7-5 (5-1 Empire 8)) on Saturday to close out the regular season. Wednesday's home matchup will take place at 7:00 PM, while Saturday's season-capper will get underway at 4:00 PM.
