UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team fell to the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons 14-8 in its home opener on Sunday afternoon. 
 
Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Roundout Valley) and Connor Costanza (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) led the team with two goals each while John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), Nolan Shea (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union), Jonathan Chilinski (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) and Luke Rinaudo-Concessi (Babylon, NY/West Babylon) each had one. Serrano and Costanza also led the team with four points apiece with a pair of assists to their goal totals. 
 
In goal for the Pioneers, Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) made 11 saves in his first career start. 
 
The Pioneers led the way with 34 ground balls and capitalized on 3-of-4 extra man opportunities. Chase Rorick (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) scooped up six groundballs for a career high while causing one turnover. Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) created two caused turnovers and tallied five ground balls. The Utica defense shut down the Red Dragons on six extra man opportunities. In the fourth, the Pioneers scored four goals to keep them within range. 
 
Oneonta opened the game with a goal nearly 50 seconds into the game for a quick 1-0 lead. Connor Costanza (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) responded quickly for the Pioneers with a game-tying goal roughly a minute and a half later. Utica took its first lead of the game later in the first period as Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Roundout Valley) fired one in on a man-up opportunity for a 2-1 edge. 
 
However, the Red Dragons came back with seven goals in a row from the end of the first period through the end of the half to go into the break ahead 8-2. 
 
On another man-up opportunity early in the third, Costanza scored his second goal of the game with a nice feed from Serrano to break the team's scoring skid. The Pioneers scored one more goal in the third, this time by John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), while Oneonta tacked on four more itself as Utica trailed 12-4 going into the final frame. 
 
Utica had its highest scoring period in the fourth as Serrano, Rinaudo-Concessi, Shea and Chilinski each recorded a goal, Shea's coming on another man-up advantage, before time expired. 
 
Utica (0-2, 0-0 Empire 8) will make the short trip to SUNY Poly on Wednesday to take on the Wildcats at 4 p.m.