Utica, NY – The Utica College men's lacrosse team will travel to Elmira on Saturday for conference play. The Empire 8 Conference contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are 5-9 so far in the season. They lost 14-3 against Hartwick College on Wednesday at Gaetano Stadium. Utica had 19 shots on goal during the game. Sophomore Dale Wagner (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) had a goal and six shots on goal throughout the game. Freshman John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) netted one goal and junior long pole Michael Foresti (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also added one goal.
 
Front of the Pack: Freshman John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) currently leads the Pioneers with 26 goals in his first collegiate season. Avery also leads the team with 115 shots and 58 shots on goal. Close behind Avery with 21 goals is sophomore Dale Wagner (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge). Wagner is second on the team with 77 shots and 44 shots on goal. Senior John Hanlon (Coconut Creek, FL/St. John Paul Academy) leads the team with 21 assists and he also has 15 goals for a team-best 36 points. Hanlon needs three more assists to crack the top ten on the College's single season assists list.
 
Empire 8 Rankings: Hanlon is currently ranked seventh in the Empire 8 conference in assists. Avery is sixth in the E8 with an average of 8.21 shots per game. Goalie's Harrison Bower (Northport, NY/Kings Park) (.520) and Ryan Boshart (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) (.515) are placed seventh and eighth respectively in save percentage. Bower also ranks third in the league with an average of 11.92 saves per game following his career-high 23 save performance against Hartwick on Wednesday. Freshman long pole Kevin Parisi (Glenwood, NJ/Vernon Township) ranks fourth in the Empire 8 with an average of 2.93 caused turnovers per game.
 
Scouting Elmira: The Elmira Soaring Eagles are currently 2-11. They recently lost 19-1 against Stevens. Freshman Sam Shaw leads the team with 21 goals on the year.
 
Against Elmira: The Pioneers are currently 12-7 against the Soaring Eagles since the rivalry began back in 2000. The last time the two teams met, the Pioneers earned a 16-7 victory. John Hanlon (Coconut Creek, FL/St. John Paul Academy) had two goals during the game, as well as three shots on goal.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return home for Senior Day as they take on Houghton College on April 27. The game is set to start at 1 p.m.