UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's lacrosse team is set to face Houghton College Saturday at 1p.m. in its first Empire 8 Conference game of the 2018 season.
 
Last Time Out: Last game UC was defeated by Keuka College, 15-8, falling to 2-3 overall on the year. With three scores against the Wolves, senior Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) is now third on the team with eight goals and leads the team with 15 total points.  Freshmen Dylan Dunham (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) started his fifth consecutive game and was able to net one goal against Keuka, pushing him to fourth on the team with six points.
 
On the Attack: Starting in all five games this season, senior Ryan Desveaux (Bowmanville, ONT/St. Stephen Catholic) is tied for second on the team with 12 total points. Desveaux leads the team with 12 goals so far this year, which includes a five-goal outing against Marywood University. Jake Bratek (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) has helped on offense providing nine goals and three assists to tally 12 total points. Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) leads UC with seven assists, as junior John Hanlon (Coconut Creek, FL/St. John Paul Academy) is second with four on the season.
 
Goalies in Net: Senior Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) is 1-3 with a .526 save percentage after starting in four of the five games for the Pioneers. Bower leads the team with 60 saves on 184 shots faced. Leading the team with a .800 save percentage, is freshmen goalkeeper Ryan Boshart (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), who was recently selected as the Empire 8 Goalie of the Week. Boshart recorded a school-record 28 saves in the win over Alvernia University, in the first collegiate start of his career.
 
Working on Defense: Nick Alexander (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) leads all Utica defensemen with 14 groundballs and 10 caused turnovers as a freshman. Sophomore Tom Zegarelli (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) has forced six turnovers so far this year and scooped up eight ground balls on defense. Midfielder Tyler Giachinta (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) is second on the team with eight caused turnovers to go with his 12 total groundballs.
 
Meet Houghton: The Highlanders are currently 0-5 entering Saturday's matchup after suffering a 13-4 loss against SUNY Poly. Nathan Anderson leads the team with 22 total points and 12 assists this season. Teammate Cole Chapman is tied with Anderson, as both have scored 10 goals on the year to lead the Highlanders. Goalkeeper Bryce Bellan has faced 198 shots in five games, allowing 78 goals and making 44 saves. Houghton looks to gain its first win of the season as Empire 8 competition begins.
 
Looking Ahead: UC's next game will be Wednesday, March 28^th as the Pioneers take on the Oswego State Lakers at 4p.m. in Oswego, NY