Utica, NY – The Utica College men's lacrosse team outscored visiting Marywood 6-1 in the second half to rally for a 12-8 victory in its home opener at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on Thursday. Senior Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) netted a game-high five goals, while Jake Bratek (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) and Dylan Dunham (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) each added three goals and one assist to pace the Pioneers. Junior goalie Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) made 15 of his 18 saves in the second half to help the Pioneers rally from a 7-6 halftime deficit and earn their first victory of the young season.

The Pioneers improved to 1-2 overall and will hit the road on Saturday when they travel to Alvernia in Reading, PA for a 2 p.m. contest.  Marywood's record dropped to 3-4 overall in the contest. 

Senior Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) added three assists and is the first Pioneer to reach double digits this season with a team best ten points (three goals, seven assists). Desveaux moved into a tie for fifth place on the College's all-time list with 73 goals.  He now has 93 career points and needs just seven more to join the 100 point club.
 
Desveaux and goalkeeper Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) were vital in UC's second half surge, after the team trailed 6-7 at halftime. Desveaux went on to score four goals in the final two quarters of the contest. Bower made 15 second half saves on his way to recording a career-high of 18.
 
Trailing at the start of the second half, the Pioneers scored three unanswered goals in the third quarter. Jake Bratek (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) scored with 7:52 on the clock before Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) scored two in a row to take a 9-7 lead going into the final quarter. Bratek and Dexveaux matched the same output in the fourth quarter, while Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) made some big saves to give UC the four-goal win in the home opener. Bower also finished the day with a team-high eight ground balls. 
 
Nicholas Horne (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) tied his career-high with two assists. Tom Zegarelli (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) notched three caused turnovers to lead the Pioneer defense. 
 
The first half was highly contested as the teams traded goals throughout. Utica struck first blood as freshman Dylan Dunham (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) earned his first career goal after receiving a pass from Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew). Marywood fired right back with two scores of their own to take a 2-1 lead in the first quarter. With 11:14 remaining in the half, Austin Forte (Central Square, NY/Central Square) recorded the first goal of his career to tie the game up at 4-4. Marywood went on to take a one-goal lead at halftime.
 
Matt Casto and Austin Maylor combined for six points for Marywood University, as they both notched one goal and two assists. Zach Vaughan and Luke Shedler finished with two scores each in the loss. Goalkeeper Vinny Biancardi received the loss as the starter, as he allowed 11 goals and made 10 saves for the Pacers. Marywood's record now stands at 3-4 overall on the season.