SCRANTON, PA - The Utica University men's soccer team picked up a huge 2-1 against the Marywood University Pacers on Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Pioneers had eight different players record at least one shot on goal. Martin Mendoza (Walden, NY/The Mount Academy), Brady Barnard (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Carson Rother (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) each scored one goal. Felix-Assa Loselose (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) and Brandon Pender (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) collected the team's two assists. 
 
Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) started in net for Utica, registering six saves. He tallied one in the first half and five in the second. 
 
The Pioneers struck first as Pender found Mendoza giving Utica a 1-0 lead 12 minutes into the match. With 13 minutes remaining, Barnard notched his first goal of the 2024 season extending the Pioneer's lead to 2-0. Utica let off three consecutive shots in two minutes with 10 minutes remaining from Loselose and Pender, all saved by Marywood. The Pioneers outshot the Pacers, eight to one, five of those shots were on-goal. Utica would head into halftime up 2-0.
 
Marywood edged closer 27 minutes into the second half on a goal from Nolan Kozera, cutting the lead to 2-1 Utica.  Carson Rother (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) tallied his first goal of the season with six minutes remaining as the Pioneers would go on to win 3-1. 
 
Utica (1-2-2) heads back home for three-straight home matches starting with SUNY-Delhi on Wednesday, September 18 at 4 p.m.