Stevens Stats | Utica Stats | Empire 8 Stats

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UTICA, N.Y. (November 6, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team will take a season-high four-game winning streak to Utica College for the Empire 8 Championship November 8 & 9 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
 
The Ducks clinched a spot in the conference tournament with a convincing 6-0 win over Nazareth College November 1 at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. The Ducks used four goals from junior forward Dailyn Brook and the second-straight shutout from their defense to get their fourth win in four outings. Over that stretch, Stevens has outscored its foes 14-3, including 9-0 over its last two games.
 
Utica comes into the matchup after a win over St. John Fisher College locked up the No. 1 seed. Fisher is the second seed and Washington & Jefferson College is seeded third.
 
The Pioneers finished the regular season with a conference record of 8-0 and an overall mark of 16-2. They are currently ranked 20th in the nation by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
 
From Head Coach Emily Beach:
"The team is ready for the weekend. They have worked extremely hard all week and are playing with some of the best energy we have seen all season. Saturday will be a test, but certainly one we are ready for."
 
Scouting the Pioneers:
Utica is led by senior forward Hannah Mackey who has 34 goals and five assists for an Empire 8 best 73 points.  Senior Louise Steele Norton, senior Chastity Eckert and senior Alaina Stojkovski all have more than 10 goals as Utica has seven players with double-digit points.
 
Goalkeepers Kells Casey and Samantha Whitehouse have combined for a goals-against average of 1.39 and 75 saves this season. Freshman Melissa Koch paces the Pioneers in defensive denials.
 
Utica has been sharp throughout 2014 and since a loss to the Ducks on October 5, 2013 in Hoboken; the Pioneers have ran off 12-straight wins against E8 foes.
 
Scouting the Ducks:
The Ducks take an overall record of 10-10 in Saturday's action and finished Empire 8 play with a 5-3 mark. Stevens is making its sixth-straight appearance in the Empire 8 Championship and is 7-3 in E8 Tournament contests.
 
Leading the Ducks' defense is sophomore goalie Emily Stukenborg who has tallied 182 saves on 358 shots faced. The second-year starter has accumulated than 1,340 minutes in goal, maintaining a goals-against average of 3.12 and pocketing a trio of shutouts.
 
Freshman back Cassidy O'Hearn has made an Empire 8-best eight defensive saves this season, with junior midfielder Erin Silvestri (2), freshman back Alana Best (2) and junior back Angela Bauroth (4) all tallying at least two.
 
Reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week Dailyn Brook leads the Ducks with 46 points via 16 goals and 14 assists. Freshman forward Victoria Alvarez has tallied 38 points thanks to 16 markers and six assists, while sophomore forward Taylor Welch completed the regular season with 22 points on the back of 10 goals and two assists. Sophomore midfielder Nolie Prouty has been key on both ends for Stevens, playing in all 20 games with five goals and seven assists. Silvestri and senior forward Jillian Fiebel also are double-digit points for Stevens as nine different players have scored this season.
 
Last Meeting:
The Ducks and Pioneers met in Utica with the Pioneers winning 4-1 back on October 12. Since that time, Stevens has won 4-of-5 and Utica has done the same. Four different Pioneers scored goals, with Brook notching the Stevens marker, and the Ducks ended the battle with a 14-12 margin in penalty corners.
 
What's next...?:
With a win, Stevens will take on the winner of W&J and Fisher at 1 p.m. for a berth in the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.

How to Watch: 
Fans unable to make the trip to Utica can tune in live by clicking here!