UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team makes its first postseason appearance since 2023 tomorrow afternoon when it travels to Brockport for a first-round battle with the Golden Eagles. The Pioneers used a four-game win streak to break into the Empire 8 postseason as the tournament's #6 overall seed, matching them up with a Brockport team whom the orange and blue already defeated earlier this season.
 
Game Information: Tomorrow's Empire 8 First Round contest gets underway at 2:00 PM at the Dr. Linda Arena & Class of '69 Field Hockey Venue on the campus of SUNY Brockport.
 
Ticketing Information: Admission for Saturday's match will be cash only at the door. $10 - Adults; $5 - Seniors; $2 - Students with ID (from competing institution); Free - Children under 12.
 
Follow Along: Live video and live statistics can be found at the following links:
            Live video: https://empire8network.com/brockport/?B=4717430
            Live statistics: https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary
 
Road to the Postseason: The Pioneers clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament with two games to spare, following a 4-game win streak that saw the team rack up enough victories to take a commanding position in the Empire 8 standings. Wins against Russell Sage (3-2), Keuka (9-1), Nazareth (2-1), and tomorrow's opponent, Brockport (3-2), would be all the team needed to snag the #6 seed.
 
The Pioneers are an exciting up-and-coming program with tons of talent all over the field, and they've displayed that at many different points this season. Despite posting a 4-11 record, the team lost four overtime bouts during the regular season and suffered one-goal losses to a variety of excellent programs, including St. Lawrence (2-1), Houghton (4-3), and Hartwick (2-1). The orange and blue boast a sturdy defense, led by the conference's defensive saves leader, senior captain Ryleigh Johnson (Camden, NY/Camden). Johnson has racked up seven defensive saves through the season, leading the conference by a pair. Upperclassmen Keeley Savona (Kingston, NY/Kingston), Deanna Jackson (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport), and Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) have also played major roles as a part of the Pioneers' back line this season, while freshmen Olivia Davis (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich), Lo Robinson (Walton, NY/Walton), and Gianna Marcantonio (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) have been major contributors during their respective rookie seasons.
 
Marcantonio has been especially effective, also ranking third on the team for points with 14. The freshman defender has tallied four goals and six assists, also picking up an Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honor during the regular season. She has been an outstanding option on penalty corners, as the team has routinely found her on the short side for an array of powerful shots. The team as a whole has been very effective on corners, as shown by the fact that the Pioneers assisted on all but one goal this season, grabbing 30 assists on 31 goals. The Pioneers' synergy is even more impressive given that three of their top four point-getters are freshmen. Gabby Chase (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) leads the team with 19 points (8g, 3a), with fellow freshmen Marcantonio (14 pts, 4g, 6a), and Adele Crayton (Hudson, NY/Taconic Hills) (12 pts, 4g, 4a) not far behind, ranking third and fourth on the team. Senior Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) sits as the only upperclassman inside the top four, racking up five goals and six assists as the team's main insertion option. Juniors Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) (3g, 3a) and Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) (2g, 3a) round out the offense along with freshman Delaney Reilly (Marathon, NY/Marathon) (3g), who has shone well in many big moments.
 
In the cage, Sophia Weiss (Huntington, NY/Huntington) and Alannah Nole (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) have split time between the pipes. Weiss bookended the campaign, starting the first six games and featuring heavily in the final two matchups. In her 444 minutes of time, Weiss has compiled a save percentage of .643 and a goals-allowed average of 4.05. For Nole, the sophomore started in all four of the Pioneers' Empire 8 wins during the latter half of the campaign, recording a save percentage of .610 and a goals-allowed average of 2.03 across her 473 minutes of time.
 
The Postseason Picture: The final tournament seeding a tournament schedule are as follows:
Seeding:
No. 1 - SUNY Geneseo (9-0 E8, 14-3 Overall)
No. 2 - Hartwick College (8-1 E8, 11-5 Overall)
No. 3 - SUNY Brockport (6-3 E8, 12-4 Overall)
No. 4 - Houghton University (6-3 E8, 10-5 Overall)
No. 5 - St. John Fisher University (5-4 E8, 8-9 Overall)
No. 6 - Utica University (4-5 E8, 4-11 Overall)
 
Schedule:
Saturday, October 31st - First Round
No. 6 Utica University at No. 3 SUNY Brockport - 2:00 PM
No. 5 St. John Fisher University at No. 4 Houghton University - 4:00 PM
 
Wednesday, November 4th - Semifinals
Winner of No. 5 St. John Fisher/No. 4 Houghton at No. 1 SUNY Geneseo - TBA
Winner of No. 6 Utica/No. 3 Brockport at No. 2 Hartwick College - TBA
 
Saturday, November 7th - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA
 
Rewind Time - Vs Brockport: The Pioneers welcomed Brockport to Gaetano Stadium earlier this season for a senior day showdown, using prolonged possession to halt the Golden Eagles' advances and notching a dominant 3-2 win.
 
Two quick Pioneer goals by Crayton and Spiezio gave the hosts a 2-0 lead just nine minutes into the game, as the Pioneers collected 11 corners and held the ball in their offensive half for a majority of the game, snuffing out Brockport's goal-scoring opportunities to salt away the game. Brockport responded just before half, scoring on their lone shot in the first 30 minutes to make it 2-1 heading to the break. However, the Pioneers would respond with a buzzer-beating score to cap off the third quarter, as Crayton snatched the ball in front of the visitors' net and found Benincasa on the break to make it 3-1. Brockport would score once more in the fourth quarter, but the Pioneers possessed the ball for the rest of the matchup, grabbing a 3-2 win.
 
The orange and blue dominated in shots (18-4), shots on goal (16-4), and penalty corners (11-3), as they kept the ball out of Brockport's hands. The team will look for a similar strategy on Saturday, hoping to keep the ball away from Brockport's biggest threats.
 
Scouting SUNY Brockport: In the earlier match against Utica, Brockport's goals were coincidentally scored by a pair of Mohawk Valley natives, as Alexis Penree of New Hartford and Terralyn McLaughlin of Holland Patent rattled the cage for the Golden Eagles. Despite that, neither player currently ranks in the top three point-getters for the Western New York program. Penree, despite ranking third on the team in scoring with seven goals, ranks fourth in points because three other players have contributed significantly.
 
An underclassmen duo leads Brockport, as freshman Penelope Schalck leads the Golden Eagles with 24 points, thanks to 11 goals and two assists, while sophomore Elise Brady is second with 20 points on nine goals and two assists. Another freshman, Laela Osinski, rounds out the top three as the Golden Eagles' biggest playmaking threat, tallying three goals and a team-high eight assists.
 
Sophomore defender Emily Nestor leads the back line, providing a two-way threat as she's collected four goals, five assists, and a team-high three defensive saves.
 
In the cage, junior goaltender Lauren Mastromarco was the team's preferred option through the majority of the season. However, the Wappingers Falls native hasn't played since October 7th, which has left freshman goalie Julia Nieboer as the Golden Eagles' starter over the last five contests. Nieboer has posted a save percentage of .855 in addition to a 1.31 goals allowed average.
 
With a Win: The Pioneers would head to Hartwick on Wednesday, November 4th for an Empire 8 Semifinal against the Hawks, whom the Pioneers nearly took down to end the regular season.
 
Tune in on Saturday for the Empire 8 First Round! Make sure to follow the team on social media!
 
Utica Field Hockey Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uticafieldhockey/
Utica Athletics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utica_pioneers/