ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team dropped its first conference matchup 17-9 against Nazareth University on Friday evening. Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) led Utica with two goals and three assists.
 
Considine (2g, 3a), Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Rondout Valley) (2g, 1a), John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) (2g, 0a), Caiden Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) (2g, 0a), and Lucas Donahue (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) (1g, 0a) recorded at least one point for Utica. In the first half, Utica played great team defense, not letting Nazareth get top side on their dodges and forcing them to the ally. Short-stick defensive middies Michael Mecca (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside), Kevin O'Brien-Bruno (Goshen, NY/Don Bosco) and Landen Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) played phenomenal defense against the Nazareth midfielders. Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) limited the Golden Flyer's top point producer, Quinn McKercher to two points (1g, 1a). 
 
Patrick Oswald (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) made 21 saves, 13 in the first half and eight in the second.
 
Jack Hogan (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) went nine for 26 at the faceoff X as he won six in the first half compared to Nazareth's seven.
 
Utica and Nazareth played a competitive first quarter, combining for six goals. Nazareth scored the first three goals, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead with 10:22 remaining. Utica's offense caught fire as they scored three unanswered goals in just under two and a half minutes. First, Considine scored with 6:33 to play. At 5:07 Frey scored on a beautiful dodge down the ally making it a 2-1 game. With 4:06 on the clock, Considine fed Serrano who stung the top right corner on a man-up opportunity, tying the game at 3-3. Utica and Nazareth would head into the second quarter nodded up at three goals.
 
The Golden Flyers would score two quick goals at the 10:31 and 9:31 mark of the second quarter. The Pioneers answered back 40 seconds later with another snipe from Serrano making it a 5-4 ball game with 8:51 to play. Just under a minute later, Caiden Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) scored his second goal, making it a 5-5 game. Nazareth scored two goals with under 2:15 to play as they went into halftime with a 7-5 lead.
 
Nazareth scored four goals in the first seven minutes and with 4:44 to play, Spoto tallied his first goal of the game cutting the lead to 11-6. The Golden Flyers would score one more goal, taking their 12-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Eight goals would be scored in the fourth quarter, five by Nazareth and three from Utica. The Golden Flyers would use its third-quarter surge to get by the Pioneers 17-9.
 
Utica (4-5, 0-1 Empire 8) travels to Oneonta, NY to face Hartwick College on Wednesday, April 3 at 4 p.m.