UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's lacrosse team is set to host its home opener on Thursday as the Pioneers welcome Marywood University to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium at 4 p.m.
Follow it Live: Fans that cannot make the trip to Utica can follow all the action live online at Pioneers All-Access: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.
All-Time in Home Openers: UC is 9-9 all-time in home openers at Gaetano Stadium. The Pioneers have won four of their last seven home openers, with three of those wins coming against SUNY Poly in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Last Time Out: SUNY Potsdam outscored visiting Utica 9-2 in the second half to pull away on its way to a 14-4 victory in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon. UC senior
Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) led the way for the Pioneers with a team-high three goals.
100 Point Club Candidate:
Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) now has 88 career points and needs 12 more to join the 100 point club. He currently ranks seventh on the College's all-time list with 68 career goals.
Scoring Threat: Utica's
Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) currently leads the team with seven points on three goals and four assists this season. Yelich netted two goals and added one assist in Utica's opener against Hamilton. He came back with a four point effort against Potsdam.
Looking to Break Out: Jake Bratek (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) has one goal this season so far for the Pioneers. Bratek appeared in all 16 games last season for the Pioneers and made an instant impact as he finished third on the team in goals (33) and second in assists (15). He was also an Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team selection in 2017.
League Leader: Utica junior goalie
Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) currently leads the Empire 8 Conference with an average of 13.50 saves per contest. He has 27 total saves in 105:00 of action.
On the Defensive End: Nick Alexander (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) leads the team with five caused turnovers and he also has six ground balls in two games.
Tyler Giachinta (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) is tied for the team lead with six ground balls and he also has three caused turnovers.
UC So Far: The Pioneers are in search of their first win of the young season after falling in consecutive games to Hamilton and Potsdam to open the season.
Meet Marywood: The Pacers travel to Utica from Scranton, PA and come to town sporting a 3-3 overall record this season. Marywood has four double digit scorers through six contests. Rob Maini leads the team with 13 points on 11 goals and two assists. Zach Vaughan ranks second on the team with 12 points on five goals and a team-high seven helpers.
Back in Action: Utica returns to play on Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Alvernia in Reading, PA. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
