ALBANY, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team opened conference play on a winning note Tuesday. Sophomore John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) scored the first game-winning goal of his Utica career with 2:42 remaining in the contest, and the Pioneers defeated host Russell Sage College by an 11-10 score at the Albany College of Pharmacy Stadium. 

Utica improves to 5-4 overall, and 1-0 in the Empire 8 Conference. Sage is 5-6 overall, and 0-2 in the Empire 8. 

The Pioneers totaled 52 shot attempts to Sage's 42. They were 1-of-3 on the man-up, while holding Sage to 1-of-7 on their opportunities. Sage held a narrow 13-12 advantage on faceoffs. 

John Avery (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Mendon) and Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Roundout Valley) paced the offense with three goals apiece, while Serrano also added an assist for a team-high four points. Spoto scored twice, including the game-winner. Caiden Frey (Accord, NY/Roundout Valley) and Connor Costanza (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park ) also added a goal each. 

Hunter Brunelle had four goals for the Gators. 

Utica goaltender Jon Goodspeed (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) stopped 14 of 24 shots to grab the win. Sage netminder Michael Capitelli made 12 saves in the loss. 

Sage put the Pioneers on their heels early. Sparked by a man-up goal from Brunelle, the home team scored four times in the first ten minutes to establish an advantage. 

38 seconds after the fourth Sage goal, the Pioneers responded. Avery got Utica on the board with 5:04 left, and Frey scored his fourth of the season with 27 seconds left to slash the deficit to 4-2. 

The Pioneers scored four of the five second quarter goals to surge into the lead by a 6-5 score at halftime. Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Roundout Valley) scored twice for the Pioneers including a man-up goal to lead the way. Avery and Spoto also scored to help Utica establish a lead at halftime. 

The Gators overturned the thin deficit with three third quarter goals to take an 8-8 score into the fourth quarter. They then took a 9-8 lead with 14:16 remaining on a goal from Jacob Peck. Utica pulled back ahead 10-9 on tallies from Costanza and Serrano. The Gators pulled level again with 4:25 to go, which set the stage for Spoto to close the deal with the winning goal at 2:42. 

Sage won the ensuing faceoff, but Goodspeed made key saves and the Pioneers were able to weather two late turnovers to secure the win. 

The Pioneers will play their first home conference game of the season on Saturday as they host Keuka College.