HOUGHTON, NY – 12 players scored at least one point and freshman Dominic Castiglia (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) totaled a career-high nine points on five goals and four assists as the Utica College men's lacrosse team cruised to a 22-5 victory over host Houghton College in Empire 8 Conference action on Saturday.  Castiglia's nine points are tied for the third most points scored in a single game in program-history. 

Utica sophomore Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) registered four goals, just one shy of his career-high, while Matthew Miller (Geneva, NY/Geneva) tied his career-high with three assists.  Craig DiSanto (Montebello, NY/Suffern) registered a career-best four goal output, and Xavier Perron (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Le Triolet) added a career-best two goals and one assist.  Freshman Nicholas Horne (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) netted his first collegiate goal, while Tyler Giachinta (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) added his first collegiate assist.  Brandon Tracz (Oswego, NY/Oswego) added his second goal in as many games and Patrick Mulligan (Commack, NY/Commack) came up one point shy of his career-high as he added two goals and one assist.

The Pioneers picked up their first Empire 8 Conference victory of the season and moved their record to 2-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play headed into next Saturday's E8 contest on the road at Alfred.  The 17 goal win is the largest margin of victory since the last game of the 2015 season when the Pioneers topped Houghton at home, 26-5. Houghton's record moved to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play. 

The Pioneers jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.  Three of Castiglia's five goals came in the first quarter alone, as did two of his four total assists.  Craig DiSanto (Montebello, NY/Suffern) added two of his four goals in the first quarter, including his second of the day which came with just one second left on the first quarter game clock. 

UC outscored the Highlanders 7-1 in the second quarter to take a commanding 13-2 lead into the half. Desveaux netted three of his four goals, consecutively, in a stretch of 3:42 late in the second quarter.

The Pioneers then scored the first five goals of the second half to close the door as they held an 18-2 lead with 8:41 to go in the third.  Perron and DiSanto each registered two third quarter goals.

Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) and Brandon Tracz (Oswego, NY/Oswego) each added fourth quarter insurance goals to secure the Pioneers 22-5 victory.

Rusty Dessert (Islip, NY/Islip) led the Pioneers' defense with a team-high five ground balls and a career-best four caused turnovers. Brickman House (Oneida, WI/Pulaski) and Hunter Izyk (Oswego, NY/Oswego) each added four ground balls.  Nick Finnegan (Bayshore, NY/Islip) went 14-for-20 at the faceoff X for the Pioneers.

Goalie Parker Smith (Dexter, NY/General Brown) earned his second win of the season as he teamed up with Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) and Brad Schulman (Airmont, NY/Suffern) to stop seven shots in net for the Pioneers.  Chris Bucciarelli stopped 21 shots in net for the Highlanders. 

UC posted 78 total shots and 54 ground balls on the afternoon.