UTICA, NY (3/7/12)- The Utica College men's lacrosse team looks to find continued success at the freindly confines of Charles A. Gaetano Stadium as it faces off against Cazenovia College Saturday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers come into Saturday's contest with a 1-0 record after crushing cross-town opponent SUNYIT, 18-1, in their season-opening game. Junior
Trent Thomas (Akwesasne, ONT/Massena) and sophomore
TJ Benson (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) each scored four goals to lead the Pioneers, while junior
Justin Edelstein (Hartsdale, NY/Harvey School) netted three goals of his own. UC fired 36 shots on goal while holding the Wildcats to just five of their own.
Balanced Attack: In the season opener, nine different Pioneers found the back of the net, and nine players tallied at least one assist. The UC bench provided a huge spark as it combined for 10 of the Pioneers' 18 goals on Friday.
Between The Pipes: Senior goalie
Joe Davis (Vestal, NY/Vestal) got the start last week vs. SUNYIT and stopped the only shot on net that he faced to preserve his first win of the season. Sophomore back up
Greg Monahan (Bowie, MD/South River) saw four shots as well, saving three and only allowing one goal in his first action with the Pioneers.
Terrific Transfers: Gregg Geiss, a senior transfer from Onondaga Community College made an immediate impact in the midfield for the Pioneers. He recorded two points on two assists, fired off three shots and went 3-for-6 at the faceoff "X" in his first game for UC. Junior transfer
Trent Thomas (Akwesasne, ONT/Massena) picked up right where he left off at Herkimer County Community College. The offensive-minded Thomas registered five shots and found the back of the net on four of those shots. He also recorded two assists, good enough for a six-point game in his first NCAA Division III contest.
Scouting Caz: Cazenovia comes into the game with a 1-0 record after defeating Emmanuel College by a score of 9-5. Sophomore Jamil Modaffari led the Caz offense with three goals, while junior Cory Tilton had two goals and three assists. Sophomore goalie Pat Boyle backstopped the Wildcats with 18 saves.
UC vs. Caz: Utica is 6-0 all time against Cazenovia dating back to their first meeting in 2002. UC has outscored the Wildcats 103-20 in those six contests. Last year, the Pioneers won the match up 11-9. Senior midfielder
Oliver Barney (Vestal, NY/Vestal) netted a team-high three goals and went 18-of-21 on face-off opportunities to pace the Pioneers.
Next Up: UC returns to action Tuesday as it travels to St. David's, PA to take on Eastern University in game one of the Pioneers Spring break. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
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