UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's soccer team is set to begin its postseason push by hosting Hartwick College in the First Round of the Empire 8 Tournament. The #2-seeded Pioneers will look to match the result of this season's earlier matchup between them and the #7-seeded Hawks, a 2-0 Utica victory in late September. Opening kickoff is set for Saturday, October 31st, at 6:00 pm at Casamento Field.

Follow Along: Admission to the contest is cash-only, with prices listed below:

$10 - Adults
$5 - Senior Citizens
$2 - Students (Student ID required, from competing institutions)
Free - Children under 12

Those who would like to follow along from elsewhere can watch the live video stream HERE, and find live stats HERE.

The Road Here: Utica finished the regular season at 9-6-2 overall and 7-3-1 in Empire 8 play, earning the #2 seed with 22 conference points. The Pioneers finished tied with Nazareth but secured the higher seed through their 1-0 head-to-head victory on October 17th.

The orange and blue found their stride after opening conference play 1-2, putting together a seven-game unbeaten stretch that included six victories. Utica outscored opponents 12-4 during the run, earning four shutouts and defeating fellow tournament qualifiers Houghton, St. John Fisher, Brockport and Nazareth. A 2-1 Crosstown Showdown victory over SUNY Poly secured a home postseason game before a 2-0 loss at Elmira ended the streak in the regular-season finale. The streak was the program's longest unbeaten streak dating back to 2010, where the team matched the total. Additionally, the team reached nine wins for the third time in the last six seasons, earning all in the regular season for the first time since 2021. With a win against Hartwick, the Pioneers' 10th win would bring them to double digits for the first time since 2019.

The Pioneers now return to Casamento Field, where they have won five consecutive matches and finished the regular season 6-2-1. Utica outscored opponents 11-4 during that home winning streak, including shutout victories over Fisher and Brockport. A win Saturday would keep the orange and blue at home for the semifinal round.

Prominent Pioneers: Senior Felix-Assa Loselose (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) leads Utica's attack with six goals and 14 points, including three game-winning scores. He has converted all three of his penalty kick attempts and added two assists. Sophomore Carter Cookinham (Poland, NY/Poland) follows with four goals and 10 points, scoring twice against both Brockport and SUNY Poly. Cookinham also leads the Pioneers with 30 shot attempts, putting 13 on target.

Junior Braeden Arias (New Milford, CT/New Milford) and freshman Mao Nkurunziza (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) share the team lead with three assists apiece, each adding a goal for five points. Sophomore Henry Schweitzer (Clinton, NY/Clinton) has matched that point total with two goals and an assist. The Pioneers have received goals from 11 different players this season, including sophomore defender Jackson Petzoldt (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), whose first collegiate score proved to be the game-winner against Hartwick in September.

Senior Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) anchors Utica in goal, recording 78 saves and six shutouts across 1,215:00 this season. He has allowed eight goals in 15 appearances, posting a 0.59 goals-against average. His strongest outing came against Brockport, when he turned away all 16 shots on target in a 2-0 victory. Following the career-best night, Accetta briefly led the nation in save percentage across all three NCAA divisions. Accetta has also earned shutouts against Canton, Hartwick, Keuka, St. John Fisher and Nazareth.

September's Showdown: Utica earned its first conference victory of the season with a 2-0 win over Hartwick at Casamento Field on September 23rd. The Hawks applied early pressure, taking the first five shots, but the Pioneers broke through at 31:22. Arias sent a cross into the box, where Cookinham headed the ball toward the back post for Petzoldt to finish his first collegiate goal. Accetta made four first-half saves, with another stop credited to the Pioneer defense, to preserve a 1-0 halftime lead.

The orange and blue doubled their advantage at 54:44 following an Adelin Buljubasic (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) free kick into the penalty area. Nkurunziza headed the ball back into the air, allowing Arias to finish with a header of his own and complete a three-point night. Hartwick continued to generate opportunities, but Accetta added two second-half saves to secure the shutout.

The Hawks finished with a 20-18 advantage in shots and a 7-4 edge in corner kicks, while Utica led 9-7 in shots on target. The Pioneers increased their offensive output after halftime, attempting 11 shots and putting six on goal. Cookinham led Utica with four attempts, while Petzoldt recorded three shots, including two on target.

Hawks' Eye View: Hartwick enters the Empire 8 Tournament as the #7 seed after finishing 6-10 overall and 5-6 in conference play. The Hawks secured their postseason position with three consecutive victories to close the regular season, defeating Brockport 3-1, Russell Sage 2-1 and Keuka 1-0. The win at Keuka marked Hartwick's first road victory after dropping its previous five away contests.

Wilson Mount leads the Hawks with seven goals and 16 points, accounting for 49 shots and 24 attempts on target. Devin Chandler follows with 12 points on three goals and a team-leading six assists. Muhammad Troare and Jon Smith have each contributed three goals and an assist, with both players recording two game-winning goals. Andres Ordonez Acosta and Kayden Zachgo have added two goals apiece.

Nils Ole Petersen has handled the largest share of Hartwick's goalkeeping duties, recording 40 saves and a 1.59 goals-against average across 847:54. Jelani Usim has also seen substantial action, making 21 saves with a 1.09 GAA and two shutouts in 412:06. Both appeared against Utica in September, with Usim playing the opening half before Petersen entered after halftime.

The Hawks have outshot opponents 238-171 this season and hold a 91-42 advantage in corner kicks, despite being outscored 25-23. Hartwick has been held scoreless four times, including September's meeting with Utica, but has scored six goals while allowing just two during its current three-game winning streak.

The Bracket: Joining Utica and Hartwick in the eight-team field are #1 Geneseo, #3 Nazareth, #4 St. John Fisher, #5 Brockport, #6 Alfred and #8 Houghton. A Pioneer victory would bring the winner of Nazareth and Alfred to Casamento Field for a November 4th semifinal. On the opposite side, Geneseo hosts Houghton, while Fisher hosts Brockport. The winners of those matchups will meet in the other semifinal, with the championship scheduled for November 7th at the highest remaining seed.

Up Next: With a win Saturday, Utica would host either Nazareth University or Alfred University in the Empire 8 Semifinals on Wednesday, November 4th, with kickoff time to be announced. Be sure to follow Utica Athletics on social media and visit uticapioneers.com for up-to-date information on the postseason as it becomes available.