UTICA, NY - The Utica men's lacrosse team will look to bounce back when they travel a few miles down the road on Saturday to take on SUNY Polytechnic in non-conference action at 1 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers fell 12-9 in a highly contested match at Wilkes University in their season opener on Wednesday. With the score knotted at 8-8 and just over two minutes left in the third quarter, the Colonels went on a 4-1 run in the final 17 minutes to seal the deal. Sophomore Dylan Dunham (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) picked up where he left off last season, scoring four goals on seven shots while adding an assist to lead the way for the Pioneers. 
 
Offensive Threats: Along with Dunham, four other Pioneers scored on Wednesday. Freshman John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) scored twice, once in the first quarter and once in the third, while John Hanlon (Coconut Creek, FL/St. John Paul Academy), Dale Wagner (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) and James Daniele (Pleasantville, NY/Pleasantville) each posted a goal as well. 
 
Shooters Shoot: The Pioneers outshot the Colonels 42-30 in the opener, including 15 shots in the fourth quarter alone. However, the Colonels were slightly more efficient as 22 of their 30 shots were on goal. 
 
Staying Out of the Box: In all, the Pioneers were penalized 11 times for over 14 minutes during their game against Wilkes. As for the Colonels, they were only penalized four times for a total of five minutes. With that, the Colonels were able to put up three goals on extra man opportunities on their way to a three goal victory.  
 
Possession is Key: Face-offs will be a key stat to keep an eye on for the Pioneers on Saturday. After winning just 7-of-25 face-offs in the opener, Coach Parnell will certainly keep a close eye on the face-off situation in order to maximize possession time for the Pioneers. 
 
Scouting SUNY Poly: SUNY Poly topped visiting Houghton 13-6 in its season opener on Thursday afternoon. Daniel Rivie and Noah Garrett combined for nine of the Wildcats 13 goals in the season opening victory. Poly is led by former UC assistant coach and New Hartford, NY native Brandon Misiaszek, who enters his third season at the helm for the Wildcats.  
 
Looking Ahead: Following the Wildcats, the Pioneers will play their home opener on Wednesday as they host Hamilton College for the Contineer Cup at 5 p.m.