Utica, NY (4/4/2013) – The Utica College men's lacrosse team is set to host Alfred University in an Empire 8 Conference match up on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.). The Pioneers (5-3, 1-1 Empire 8) are in search of their third consecutive win after defeating Misericordia (10-9 OT), and conference foe Hartwick (10-6), over the course of their last two contests.
Mid Way Point: The Pioneers are currently at the midway point of the season, having played in eight contests, with eight more to go in the regular season … The first half of the season featured two separate two-game win streaks … UC is currently 3-1 on the road and 2-2 at home.
On The National Scene: As a team, the Pioneers rank fourth nationally in caused turnovers per game … The Pioneers rank 32nd nationally in points per game and the man-up offense also ranks 32nd … Junior
Joe Schoen (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) ranks 60th in the country in assist per game, while sophomore defender
Tom Byrne (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) ranks 27th in the nation in caused turnovers per game … All national stats are as of March 31st.
Big Win Over 'Wick: The Pioneers outscored host Hartwick College 5-1 in the second half on its way to a 10-6 Empire 8 Conference victory on Wednesday afternoon … Utica senior
Ben Winkler (Rodman, NY/IHC) tied his season-high with four goals and he currently leads the team with 26 points (21 goals, five assists) … Senior classmate
Justin Edelstein (Hartsdale, NY/Harvey School) and sophomore
Zack Stevenson (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) each added two goals for the Pioneers, while junior
Joe Schoen (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) chipped in with one goal and two assists.
The Assist Man: Schoen's 15 assists this season ranks sixth in the Empire 8 and also leads the team … He has at least one assist in 7-of-8 games … He has multiple assists in five contests this year.
The Pioneer Report: UC has outscored its opponents 90-57 through eight games … Utica has 59 assists, compared to its opponents' 28 … The Pioneers have played their best lax in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 29-10 in the third 15 minute stretch … The Pioneers have won 52% of their face-off opportunities this year.
Defense, Defense, Defense: The Pioneer defense is led by sophomore
Tom Byrne (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) who has a team-best 42 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers …
Dan Duffy (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) has 20 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers, while
Sean Flanagan (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and
Matt Werkmeister (Chaska, MN/Chaska) have 19,13 and 15,12.
Two Headed Monster: The Pioneers currently feature a two-goalie system which includes sophomore transfer
Andrew DiOrio (Greenlawn, NY/CW Post) and freshman
Trey Adams (Hogansburg, NY/Brewster Academy) … DiOrio has started both of the Pioneers conference games so far and he has played in five games total, posting a 7.28 goals against average and a 53.8 save percentage … Adams has also played in five games, recording a 3-2 overall record, a 7.33 goals against average and a 62.5 save percentage.
All-Time Against Alfred: Utica has won seven of the last nine meetings against the Saxons dating back to 2004 … The Pioneers are 7-6 all-time against the Saxons … Last year on April 7th the Pioneers downed host Alfred 14-9 … The Pioneers outscored the Saxons 5-1 in the first 15 minutes of action … Alfred made a late push, outscoring UC 6-1 during a stretch in the second half to knot the score at 9-9, but the Pioneers proved to be resilient by netting the final five goals of the game in the fourth quarter to seal the victory … Winkler netted a game-high six goals, while Schoen totaled five points (three assists, two goals).
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