UTICA, NY- Freshman attacker David O'Connell (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) scored with 2:41 left in sudden-death overtime as the Utica College men's lacrosse team defeated visiting Oswego St. 10-9 Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

UC, which lost all three of its games this season by one goal, is now 4-3 overall while the Lakers drop to 2-2.

The scoring was early and often with both teams scoring with in the first 50 seconds of the contest. Senior midfielder Ryan McGowan (Northport, NY/Northport) gave UC a 1-0 lead 36 seconds into the contest on an assist from O'Connell.

The Lakers answered right back just seven seconds later when Dan Rogers (Boston/Frontier) won the ensuing face-off marched down the field and connected with senior attacker Steve Tronovitch (Binghamton/Chenango Forks) for the game-tying goal.

Sophomore midfielder Mike Recor (Kirkville/East Syracuse-Minoa) took advantage of a blown defensive assignment by the Pioneers at 11:58 and gave the Lakers their first lead of the game when he beat UC goalie Anthony Carnevale (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy) with a bounce shot off the turf.

Freshman attacker Michael Bulger (Watertown, NY/Immaculate Heart Central) scored his team-best 14th goal of the season to tie the game up at 2-2 with 9:09 left in the first quarter. Bulger gave the Pioneers the lead again after a failed clear by the Lakers led to a fast-break for the Pioneers. Steve Schoen (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) connected with Bulger, who beat Oswego goalie Matt Pfister (Patchogue/Patchogue-Medford).

Oswego tied the game at 3-3 in the opening minute of the second quarter when Mike Strohm (Waterloo/Waterloo) beat Carnevale on an assist from Rob Tramontozzi (Rochester/Irondequoit) at 14:13.

Bulger and Strohm then exchanged goals and the scored was again tied up. Oswego took a 5-4 lead at 11:25 when Tronovitch netted his second goal of the game. Bulger answered right back with his fourth goal of the game on a beautiful one-timer from Aaron Benoit (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia) at 9:10. Benoit stuffed home a rebound one minute and thirty seconds later to give UC a 6-5 lead.

Schoen rocketed a shot from 17 yards out to beat Pfister and give UC its first two-goal lead of the game at 6:34. Both teams went scoreless for the next five minutes until Matt Ficara (Syracuse/West Gennesee) netted an unassisted goal with 56 seconds left in the first half. The Pioneers took a 7-6 lead into the first intermission.

UC out shot the Lakers 26-10 and took a 19-7 shots on goal advantage at the half. UC led the first half face-off battle 8-7 and also led in ground balls 16-13.

The Pioneers opened the second half scoring as Brandon Kaminski (Bernhards Bay, NY/Paul V. Moore) ripped a shot from 13-yards over the top of a Laker defender and past Pfister at 12:14. Kaminski's fourth goal of the season gave the Pioneers an 8-6 lead. Kory Buckley (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) gave UC a three goal lead when he ripped a shot into the back of the net. Bulger assisted on the Pioneers ninth goal of the game.

Tronovitch completed the hat-trick when he received a pass from Dan Cleveland (Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta) and beat Carnevale stick-side with nine seconds left in the third quarter. Oswego trailed by two goals headed into the fourth and final quarter.

Dan Rogers (Boston/Frontier) cut the Pioneers lead to one with 5:15 left in the contest after he picked up a ground ball and fired a shot from 12 yards out that beat Carnevale. UC clung to a 9-8 lead until Tronovitch rebounded a Recor shot and scored top shelf to tie the game for the first time since the 9:10 mark of the second quarter.

Both teams threatened in the final minute of regulation but the goalies stood their ground and the fourth quarter ended in a 9-9 tie.

Bulger led the Pioneers with four goals and one assist, while Buckley added two assists and one goal. Tronovitch led the Lakers with four goals, while Strohm added two of his own.
Carnevale maded nine stops in his fourth win of the season, while Pfister stopped a game-high 19 shots in net for the Lakers.

The Pioneers return to action at 7 p.m. when they take on host Hartwick College in their first Empire 8 Conference contest of the season.