UTICA, NY
- The Utica University men's lacrosse team travels to SUNY Potsdam on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m. to open the 2025 season.
Follow Along: Live stream for Potsdam can be found
here and live stats
here.
Stop Him If You Can: Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) returns after posting 27 goals and 17 assists in his freshman campaign, averaging nearly three points per game. The third-team All-Conference member was a menace around the crease, scoring nearly all 27 from the same location. Considine draws slides with ease, which gives him many more opportunities to dish the ball to the open man. He tallied a point in all but three games, with his most coming against Keuka where he notched five goals and five assists on nine shots on goal. In a seven-game stretch last season, Considine totaled 16 goals and six assists, making it the most for any team member in that span. The attackman is also an asset on the ride, turning his defenders back with ease and creating turnovers. He was second on the team with 41 ground balls.
Backend Presence: Aaron Bergquist (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) will take the reins from Brown to match up against the opposing team's top attackman. That shouldn't be a problem, though, as Bergquist was a force on the backend with 36 ground balls and 12 takeaways in 2024. In a three-game span last season, he had seven caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. Seven of those came against Oswego on March 21. Another returner is
Gianpaul Cooper (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), whose presence on the field is always felt, being able to play both up top and down low. Cooper racked up 10 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in his sophomore season.
John Sheridan (Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) returns to the Pioneers after not competing in the 2024 season due to injury. In 2023, he collected six ground balls in six games, along with three takeaways. His size and length should be a factor in Utica's defensive success this season.
Patty's Presence: Patrick Oswald (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) returns after coming off his best season, earning third-team All-Conference along with ranking top four in every major goalie statistic in the E8. He led the conference with a .541 save percentage on 552 shots faced. Oswald registered 11.33 saves per game, which was third in the league and was fourth with an 11.14 goals-against average. His best game came against Nazareth, where he posted 21 saves.
Middle of the Field: Mike Mecca and
Landen Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) return to the defensive midfield. Mecca has been a force for the Pioneer defense since he joined in 2023. In two seasons, he has 60 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Mecca is primed for a breakout season after scooping up a ground ball in all but two games and matching up against the number two midfielder. Frey totaled 14 ground balls and four takeaways.
Andrew Sacco (New Haven, CT/North Haven) will also be a key player for Utica on the wings during faceoffs. In three seasons, he's totaled 72 ground balls.
About Potsdam: The Potsdam Bears finished 2024 as SUNYAC runner-ups, falling to Geneseo 20-10 in the championship. In the semifinals, Potsdam defeated the No. 1 seeded Cortland Red Dragons, 8-7 for the first time in 25 years. The team is without their number one point producer from a year ago, Peyton Walsh. He totaled 49 goals, 19 assists and 220 shots (115 on goal). In the team's last six contests last season, he had 18 goals. Senior, Owen Walsh was second on the Bears with 39 goals and 16 assists. Saka Thompson returns in-net after sporting an 8.14 goals against average and a .632 save percentage.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers head to Clinton, NY to face Hamilton College on Tuesday, March 4 at 5 p.m.
