UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team will be on the road Tuesday to take on Empire 8 Conference foe Hartwick College in a make or break game for both teams. Game time from Oneonta, NY is set for 4 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: Utica fell to Alfred University 15-7 at home on Saturday. Alfred took a 2-0 lead early in the first, and led Utica for the entirety of the game. The Pioneers used two goals a piece from sophomore Caiden Frey (Accord, NY/Roundout Valley), and seniors John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) and Gage Fiacco (Massena, NY/Massena). Sophomore John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) also added a goal for Utica. Sophomore goaltender Jon Goodspeed (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) made 17 saves in the loss, marking the 10th time this season where Goodspeed has recorded at least 10 saves in a game.
 
Defensive Menace Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks): Sophomore defenseman Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) had the best game of his young Pioneer career on Saturday against Alfred University. Brown had a career-high eight caused turnovers and tied a career-high with six ground balls. Brown sits second on the team with 17 caused turnovers and third on the team with 41 ground balls.
 
12 & 21: Sophomore Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Roundout Valley) and senior John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) have been two of the best for Utica this season. Serrano sits first on the team with 35 points, and his 21 goals and 14 assists both rank him second on the squad. Avery leads all Pioneers with 26 goals, and he is right behind Serrano with 34 points to his credit.  Avery is also third on the team with eight assists. 
 
Creating Chaos: Utica currently has three players in the top six in the conference in caused turnovers per game. Senior Kevin Parisi (Glenwood, NJ/Vernon Township) is in a league of his own, as he has caused 31 turnovers this season, which is eight more than anyone in the Empire 8 and averages 2.38 per game. Sophomore Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) is fifth in the E8 with 17 total caused turnovers and 1.42 per game, while classmate Jeffrey Kopek (Syracuse, NY/The Frederick Gunn School ) is right behind him with 15 caused turnovers and 1.36 per game. 
 
Tale Of The Tape: The Utica Pioneers and Hartwick Hawks will face off for the first time this season in a pivotal Empire 8 Conference matchup. Utica is currently fourth in the conference standings, while Hartwick is fifth.  The winner of Tuesday's matchup will clinch a playoff spot, while the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention. 
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are currently 5-5 (2-3 E8) and they are coming off three-straight losses to Empire 8 Conference foes Nazareth, Alfred and St. John Fisher. The Hawks are led by Kainen Francis-Thompson, who has 43 points (27 goals, 16 assists).  Goaltender Kyle McKee is currently 5-3 on the season, and he has the highest save percentage in the entire E8 (.610), along with a 9.38 goals against average, which places him third in the conference. The teams have played 19 times all-time, with Hartwick winning 12 of those. The last matchup between these two teams was over three years ago on April 17, 2019, where Hartwick defeated Utica 14-3.
 
Looking Ahead: Utica will be back on the road for the final game of the regular season as the team travels to Rochester, NY to take on Nazareth College on Saturday. Game time is set for 1 p.m.