UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team gears up for Empire 8 action against Keuka College on Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Live video and stats for Keuka can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University men's lacrosse team dropped its Empire 8 matchup 16-7 against Russell Sage College on April 13. Caiden Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) led Utica with three points on one goal and two assists. Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Rondout Valley) and Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) had one goal and one assist each. John Spoto (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), Connor Costanza (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park), Lucas Donahue (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) and Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) tallied one goal each. 11 players notched at least one shot on goal. Patrick Oswald (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) started in net for Utica, playing the first 30 minutes of action. He made six saves on 10 goals allowed. Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) entered in the second half, allowing six goals on six saves. Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) had a dominant day, recording four ground balls and five caused turnovers. Sage got the first goal just under three minutes into the game and at 10:56, Costanza took a step-down bouncer which found the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1. With 8:52 to play, Considine muscled through the Gator defense, giving Utica a 2-1 advantage. Sage went on a six-goal run to finish the first period as they would head into the second up 7-2. Both teams played a competitive second quarter, as Utica and Sage scored three goals each. First, it was Spoto at the 14:53 mark making it a 7-3 game. Six minutes later, the Gators answered back, taking a 7-4 lead. C. Frey tallied his first goal of the day cutting Sage's lead to 8-4. Sage scored two more goals within the 4:19 and 3:25 mark, going up 10-4. Brown recorded his first goal of the season with 2:54 left, as Sage would head into halftime with a 10-5 advantage. Sage scored five goals in the third quarter, taking a 15-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Serrano got the scoring starting in the fourth quarter at the 7:19 mark, making it a 15-6 game. The Gators answered back and at 3:44 Donahue tallied Utica's seventh goal as Sage would hold on and win 16-7.
 
One-Two Punch: Sam Serrano (Stone Ridge, NY/Rondout Valley) and Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) have combined for 44 goals, 24 assists, and nine man-up goals in 13 games. Serrano has a point in 12 out of 13 games while leading the team with 101 shots and 61 on goal and Considine has a point in 11 out of 13 along with ranking second on Utica with 36 ground balls. 
 
Up and Out: Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) continues to be a problem for opposing teams as he ranks top four in league play with 26 caused turnovers, tied for second in E8 play averaging nearly two per game. Against Sage, he registered his first goal of the season along with four ground balls and a season-high five caused turnovers.
 
Get That Outta Here: Patrick Oswald (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) is 4-8 overall, starting all 13 games. He has a .530 save percentage and 149 saves. His 149 saves are second in league play, averaging 11.92 per game.
 
Scouting Keuka: The Keuka College Wolves sport a 5-4 overall record with a 0-2 Empire 8 record. The team is coming off a 10-6 win over Hilbert College on Apri l3. Against Hilbert, Tre Lloyd and Devon Gerhardt recorded four points each while goaltender Dylan Hoad made 13 saves. Senior attackman Gerhardt leads Keuka with 32 points on 14 goals, 18 assists and 38 shots on goal. He has registered a point in every game this season with his most coming against Juniata (4g, 2a) and Thiel (2g, 4a). First-year Harrison Root leads the Wolves with 17 goals, four of them being man-up, which leads the team. Senior defender Robert Hill leads the back end with 43 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers where he's collected one in at least every game this year. His 2.67-caused turnovers per game is leading the Empire 8 and his 4.78 ground balls per game ranks fourth. Senior faceoff specialist Enrique Castillo is the team's primary specialist with a .628 face-off percentage (59-94). Graduate Student Dylan Hoad has started all nine games in net, sporting a 5-3 record and a .447 save percentage.
 
Series History: Utica is 9-3 all-time against Keuka. The Pioneers have won four straight matchups and are 6-0 all-time at home against the Wolves.
 
Up Next: Utica hosts SUNY Poly for the Mike Parnell Game on Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.