Box Score
Utica, NY (April 2, 2014) – The Utica College men's lacrosse team lost its first home contest of the season against visiting Nazareth College 11-5 in Empire 8 Conference action on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium Wednesday afternoon. Utica's Christian Reiller (Salamanca, NY/Genesee CC) led the Pioneers with two goals and he now has a team-best 25 points this season (16 goals, nine assists). The Pioneers outscored the visitors 3-2 in the final 30 minutes of action but it was not enough to fight back from a 9-2 first half deficit. 

Utica's has now lost three in a row and its record fell to 4-5 overall on the year (1-1 Empire 8).  Nazareth has won three straight conference contests and evened its record to 5-5 overall on the season (3-0 Empire 8).  The Golden Flyers were led by three goals and two assists from the stick of senior midfielder Chris Aycock.

Sophomore Corey Thompson (Akwesasne/Salmon River) assisted on both of Reiller's first half goals and he has now scored five points in his last two outings.  Thompson has scored at least one point in eight of nine games this season and he has 14 points for the year (ten goals, four assists). Trent Jacobs (Akwesasne/Brewster Academy), Zack Stevenson (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) and David Craig (Brewerton, NY/Paul V. Moore) each added a goal for Utica, while senior Joe Schoen (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) chipped in with one assist. Jacobs is tied with Reiller for the team lead with 16 goals this season.

Senior Dan Duffy (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) registered a team-best four caused turnovers and he also scooped up four ground balls, while goalie Andrew DiOrio (Greenlawn, NY/CW Post) play well in net for the Pioneers stopping a season-high 16 shots. His career best is 18 saves, a mark he set in the regular season last year against Nazareth. 

Tom Byrne (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) and Zack Stevenson (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) each added four ground balls for UC, while Sean Flanagan (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) chipped in with three.

Nazareth netted the first two goals of the contest in less than five minutes, before Reiller got on the board for the 15^th time this season to make it a one goal game, 2-1, with 9:29 left in the first quarter.

Nazareth scored two of the game's next three goals to take a 4-2 lead at the end of the first.  The second quarter proved to be all Nazareth as the Golden Flyers outscored the Pioneers 5-0 in the 15 minute stretch to take a 9-2 lead into the half.

Utica's Zack Stevenson (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) made it a 9-3 game to open the third quarter when he scored his eighth goal of the season.  Nazareth answered with 1:14 left in the third quarter to make the score 10-3 after Will Fallo netted his sixth goal of the season.

UC opened the fourth quarter with two straight goals in a span of 2:10 from Jacobs and Craig, but that was all the scoring the Pioneers would receive as the Golden Flyers pulled out the six goal victory.

Nazareth went 4-for-8 with an extra-man on the afternoon and the Golden Flyers also won 14-of-19 faceoff's. Naz faceoff man Drew Simoneau won 13-of-18 and picked up a game-high 11 ground balls.  Scott Brown stopped eight shots in net for the visitors as he won his fourth contest of the season.   

The Pioneers will hit the road on Saturday when they travel to Misericordia in Dallas, PA.  The contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.