UTICA, NY - The Utica University field hockey team opened its home schedule on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Liberty League side Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to Gaetano Stadium. On a sunny day, and with tons of Pioneer faithful in the stands, the Pioneers battled the Engineers hard throughout the contest, but RPI pulled away in the fourth quarter to take a 4-1 decision.
The orange and blue finished the afternoon with four shots, putting three attempts on goal. They also stood tall defensively for the second game in a row, nearly withstanding 14 shots from the visiting Engineers, but ultimately seeing a trio of goals hit the cage in the fourth quarter to give the visitors an edge. The Pioneers earned five corners, converting one of those into the team's only goal of the day, which was scored by Greenwich's Jocelyn Spiezio (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich).
The game was an exciting bout through a majority of the afternoon. RPI opened the scoring with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter when Katie Galgay found the back of the cage off an assist from Ella Downing, giving the Engineers a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.
However, the Pioneers answered early in the second quarter to bring the game level. After earning back-to-back penalty corners, the Pioneers converted at the 19:19 mark when Spiezio scored her first goal of the season. Mia Benincasa (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) provided the assist, threading a pass through the heart of the Engineer defense to find Spiezio on the back post, with the senior forward tying the game at 1-1.
The two teams remained deadlocked through the third quarter, with neither side able to break through. Weiss kept the Pioneers within striking distance, making a pair of saves during the opening half and another two stops in the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Engineers' depth would give them the decisive edge, as they managed to knot three goals in a row to close out the contest. However, the effort was excellent from the home side, whose young core was poised and prepared for the challenge, going toe-to-toe with a program who fell by just one goal to Geneseo in the season-opener.
Spiezio led the Pioneers offensively with one goal and one shot on goal, while Benincasa added an assist. Lauren Durfey (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), Adele Crayton (Hudson, NY/Taconic Hills), and Gianna Marcantonio (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) each recorded a shot, while Weiss finished with six saves in the cage.
The Pioneers return to action next Wednesday, heading to Morrisville for a matchup with the Mustangs. That game begins at 4:00 PM at Drake Field. The team will also open up Empire 8 play next Saturday against Geneseo.
