UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's lacrosse team travels to Hartwick College on Wednesday, April 3 at 4 p.m. before hosting Alfred University on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Hartwick game links: video and stats.  Alfred University game links: video and stats.
 
Last Time Out: The team dropped its first conference matchup 17-9 against Nazareth University on March 29. 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 of their dodges and forcing them to the alley. 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.
 
100-Point Career: Sam Serrano's (Stone Ridge, NY/Rondout Valley) impact on the offensive side of the field has been a huge boost for the Pioneers as he's recorded six goals and four assists in two games. His ability to draw a slide has led to many step-downs for his counterpart, Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) on the back side. Serrano leads Utica with 21 goals, 12 assists and four ground balls. He's collected a point in every game this season, extending his point streak to 18 games dating back to March 22, 2023. Serrano cracked the top nine in goals in program history with 63 and cracked the top 10 in points with 110.
 
Patty's House: Patrick Oswald (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) had a phenomenal game against Nazareth making 21 saves, 13 in the first half and eight in the second. He ranks first in conference play with a .552 save percentage and second with 106 saves. 
 
Not In My House:  Utica's penalty kill has looked sharp as of late, sporting a .765 percentage, going 14-for-50 in eight games played. Ethan Brown (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks), Aaron Bergquist (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) and Andrew Sacco (New Haven, CT/North Haven) each rank in the top 15 in league play, combining for 35 caused turnovers this season. Defensive midfielders Michael Mecca (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside), Kevin O'Brien-Bruno (Goshen, NY/Don Bosco) and Landen Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) tallied a combined 10 ground balls against Morrisville and Nazareth. The trio has greatly supported the defensive success, holding their ground and not letting offensive players get top-side.
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hartwick College Hawks are 2-5 overall with no games played in the Empire 8. The team is on a three-game losing streak against Clarkson University (7-19), Rivier University (6-12) and Eastern University (10-18). Hartwick's two wins came against Oswego State (11-10) and Mount Saint Mary College (15-2). Junior midfielder Garrett Frost leads the Hawks with 19 points on 14 goals, five assists and 33 shots on goal. Senior midfielder Shayne Kerrigan has nine goals and nine assists on 24 shots on goal. Senior faceoff specialist Daniel Beltran has a .507 faceoff percentage (72-142) along with 44 ground balls. Freshman goalkeeper Chris Andersen has started all seven games, posting a 2-5 record. He has a .484 save percentage and a 12.98 goals-against average. 
 
Scouting Alfred: The Alfred University Saxons are 7-2 overall and 1-0 in Empire 8 play. The team is on a three-game winning streak entering Saturday's matchup against the Pioneers and leads the conference with their seven wins. Their most recent win came against Russell Sage College, 16-8 on March 30. Graduate Student attackman Owen Zimmerman has played lights out this season, leading the league in points with 30 goals and 14 assists. Zimmerman collected 11 goals and four assists in the team's last three games. Sophomore attackman Cole Loewke (28g, 10a) and senior attackman Kevin Matson (21g, 10a) stand behind Zimmerman with at least 20 goals. Sophomore faceoff specialist Hunter Cupp leads the Empire 8 with a .657 faceoff percentage (140-213) and 86 ground balls. On defense, sophomore Benjamin Cunningham leads the way with 23 ground balls, with his most coming against Oswego where he registered nine. Junior goaltender Quinn Sullivan has started all nine games in net posting a .539 save percentage and a 10.08 goals-against average.
 
Up Next: Utica will travel to SUNY Brockport on Wednesday, April 10 for a 4 p.m. start.