UTICA, NY - The Utica College Pioneer football team was held scoreless until the final quarter of play as the Saxons of Alfred University ran away with a 33-13 victory on Saturday afternoon at Charles A. Gaetano stadium.

The Saxons cruised to a 19-0 halftime lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Jesse Raynor, a 17-yard end zone reception by TyQuan Horton from Ron Duliba, a 34-yard field goal from Raynor, and a safety.

The Pioneers' were struck with disappointment early as senior quarterback Adam Luciano (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) orchestrated a promising 12-play, 75-yard first quarter drive that resulted in a momentum breaking end-zone interception by AU's Ray Sawner.

The third quarter featured a 38-yard end zone delivery from Alfred's Duliba to receiver Chris Sargent and a 2-yard touchdown run by Raynor, his second of the day.

The Pioneers' came to life in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 2-yard fumble recovery by junior defensive end Jon Griffith (Cambridge, NY/Cambridge) at the 14:47 mark, and on a 73-yard punt return by junior Christopher Sargis (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) with just over two minutes remaining in the contest.

Luciano led a Pioneer offense that generated 125 yards in the air and 32 yards on the ground with 76 total yards passing, which included connecting on nine of 16 attempts with one interception. Sophomore tight end Brian Barth (Greene, NY/Greene Central) had the biggest outing of his season, securing a team-high seven receptions for 84 yards.

Freshman quarterback Nick Martin (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) saw time as a reserve, connecting on five of eight passes for 48 yards.

Alfred used a balance attack, which consisted of 165 yards rushing and 190 yards passing, to secure the victory. Raynor sparked the AU ground game with 110 yards on 23 carries, while Duliba accounted for 180 yards passing by completing 13 of 23 attempts.

Senior linebackers Jason Colunio (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) and Anthony Venturino (Utica, NY/DeSales) led the Pioneer defense with nine tackles apiece, while freshman defensive back James Molinari (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) and Sargis contributed seven tackles each. Venturino's day also consisted of two tackles for a loss, including a sack for 15 yards, and a forced fumble, while Sargis finished with a 3-yard sack and one forced fumble. Molinari accounted for the team's only interception of the afternoon.

Click here for Box Score.