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Utica, NY (3/5/13) - The Utica College men's lacrosse team is set to take on Oswego State in its home opener, Wednesday afternoon. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on the Utica College campus.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers kicked off their season last week against the
SUNYIT Wildcats... UC had one of its most lopsided wins in recent years taking down the Wildcats, 21-2... The last time the Pioneers had a victory of 19 goals or higher was back in the 2010 season where UC beat Mount St. Mary 21-1... There were 28 Pioneers that suited up for last week's game against the Wildcats and 14 different players tallied at least one goal. UC was clicking on all cylinders, only allowing SUNYIT 13 shots to its 65.
Leading the Nation: The Pioneers are tied for first in the nation, out of 203 teams, in scoring defense… UC is also second in scoring offense and points per game… Junior
Joe Schoen (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) ranks second in the country in assists (5.0) and fifth in points per game (7.0).
A Career Day: Second year player
Zack Stevenson (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) had a career day in UC's season opener, scoring three goals... Stevenson finished last year playing in 12 games for the Pioneers and scoring eight goals on the season... His previous single-game high was two goals in back to back games against Neumann University and Vassar last year.
Picking Up Where He Left Off: Senior
Ben Winkler (Rodman, NY/IHC) has been a goal-scoring machine throughout his career as a Pioneer, and continued his strong play netting three goals against the Wildcats... Last season Winkler became the first player in school-history to break the 50-goal barrier and is also just the seventh player in school-history to join the 100-point club... He is one of only two players that received all-conference honors last season, where he made second team.
Scouting Oswego State: This will be the first game of the season for Oswego as its season opener against the SUNYIT Wildcats was canceled… Oswego State finished last season with a winning percentage over .500 (8-6)... The Lakers are led by their captains Casey Balzer and Chris Porten... Balzer wrapped up his 2012 season playing in 12 games, scoring 16 goals and adding 11 assists. Junior midfielder Chris Porten was also a key player last season scoring 18 goals and 11 assists in 13 games played... The Pioneers are 4-3 against Oswego dating back to 2006, however the Lakers have won the last three meetings against UC.
Next Time Out: UC will travel to Purchase, NY to take on Manhattanville College on Saturday, March 9 with the opening face-off scheduled for 1 p.m.
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