BROCKPORT, NY — The No. 3-seed SUNY Brockport field hockey team opens postseason play Saturday, October 31st, hosting No. 6-seed Utica at 2 p.m. for the first round of the Empire 8 Championship. The Golden Eagles enter the tournament carrying a 12-4 overall record with a 6-3 mark in conference play, riding back to back wins into the postseason.
Postseason Powess
Head Coach
Krista Archambeau has guided the Golden Eagles to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, including three straight seasons since joining the Empire 8 in 2024. Saturday will mark Brockport's first home playoff game since the 2024 season, when the Golden Eagles hosted Hartwick. Brockport has raised its level of play at home, posting a 7-2 record at the Dr. Linda Arena and Class of '69 Field.
Last Outing Recap
Brockport wrapped up the regular season in dominant fashion on Wednesday, shutting out Nazareth University 5-0 on the road to lock up the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 standings. The Golden Eagles dictated play from start to finish, building a 22-6 advantage in total shots and a 14-4 edge in penalty corners.
Penelope Schalck opened the scoring at the 10:19 mark with an unassisted strike to give Brockport an early 1-0 lead. The offense expanded the cushion in the second quarter, as
Alexis Penree buried a feed from
Makenna Hart at 25:32 before
Elise Brady converted a penalty stroke with just six seconds left in the half to put the Green and Gold up 3-0. Brockport kept the momentum rolling out of the break, with
Cassidy Pado scoring off a setup from Brady just 86 seconds into the third frame.
Julia Klodzinski capped off the 5-0 victory with an unassisted goal at 55:17. In net, freshman goalkeeper
Julia Nieboer stopped all four shots faced to lock down the complete-game shutout.
Scouting Utica
The Pioneers enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed at 4-11 overall and 4-5 in Empire 8 action, after dropping a tight 2-1 decision to Hartwick in their regular season finale. Utica captured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Brockport in their regular season meeting on October 17th in Utica. Saturday's contest marks the first time the two programs will meet in postseason play.
Up Next: The winner of Saturday's first-round clash will advance to the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th.
