UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's soccer team continued its 2026 season, hosting the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in the squad's second home game of the year. It was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams having strong moments, but it was the Pioneers that stood tall 3-2 in the end. Both units traded scores just before the halftime break, but a span of two Utica goals within a five-and-a-half-minute span in the mid-second half gave the hosts the push needed for the victory. The Pioneers return to action next Tuesday in a home matchup against SUNY Delhi.
It was a high-shot outing for both squads, but the orange and blue led this metric 18-11, putting six on target to Morrisville's four. In addition, all five corner kicks in the game were in favor of Utica, four of them in the first half. Sophomore
Henry Schweitzer (Clinton, NY/Clinton) was the lone Pioneer with two shots on target, one of them the game-winning goal. Utica's other two scores came courtesy of graduate captain
Maximilian Pawlowski (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) and senior
Evan Smith (Baldwinsville, NY/Baker). The remaining shots on target were accounted for by sophomore
Chase Abbott (Penfield, NY/Penfield) and fellow captain, a senior,
Mason Bucher (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point). Utica's first two assists of the season came as part of the same play, with two first-season Pioneers, freshman
Mao Nkurunziza (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) and junior
Griffin Condit (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad), contributing to the first Pioneer goal. For a third straight match, the orange and blue played a different goalkeeper in each half. Junior
Cade Tavares (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) started the game, allowing a goal on his only shot on target. Sophomore
Cian LeVasseur (Salem, MA/St. Mary's) closed out the second half, saving two of three shots on goal, and earning credit for the win.
The game was tightly contested throughout, with action starting early. Within the first four and a half minutes, both teams had attempted a shot, with the Pioneers putting theirs on target. Utica appeared on course to enter their fifth straight 0-0 halftime, but the Mustangs broke the trend with a goal 3:31 before the break. Sophomore Aaron Chapman chipped a long ball over the Utica defense, finding his freshman teammate Mamadou Diallo in the penalty area, who sent a shot into the lower-left corner of the goal. The Pioneers didn't take long to respond, as just 1:41 later, Smith tapped in a goal at the back post to enter the halftime break even at 1-1. His goal was assisted by Nkrunziza, who first touched a long ball from Condit toward the right post.
Both teams came out to a similar tune in the second half, as this time within 5:48 both teams had a shot on goal. This half, however, the home squad struck first, during the 67th minute. After a foul by the Mustangs just outside the penalty area, Pawlowski lined up a free kick, sending a right-footed shot into the upper-middle part of the net. Just 5:36 after the free-kick goal, the Pioneers struck again on a stellar push on a quick counterattack. Schweitzer received a cleared ball from the Utica defense, running his way through three defenders and two tackle attempts to beat the keeper in the lower-left corner. The visitors tried to get back in the game late, with the same underclassmen duo combining for a second goal. This time, Diallo sent a long ball that was headed in by Chapman with 1:42 remaining to give the Mustangs a path back to even. Despite the late strike, the score stood 3-2 in favor of the hosting Pioneers.
Utica men's soccer returns to action next Tuesday, September 15th, when the SUNY Delhi Broncos come to Casamento Field. The opening kickoff in the Pioneers' final non-conference matchup is set for 4:00 pm.
