UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's lacrosse team is set to return to action after spring break with the final two games of an early-season three-game road stretch. On Wednesday, March 18th, the orange and blue will take on the Oswego State Lakers before a contest at Misericordia University on Saturday. Utica is looking to carry the momentum from its last game, a 10-9 win over a then-undefeated Plattsburgh State Cardinals squad. The opening faceoff in the game in Oswego is set for 4:00 pm, with Misericordia's start time scheduled for 1:00 pm.
Follow Along: The video stream for the matchup in Oswego is available
HERE, with live stats found
HERE. In the Misericordia contest, the video stream can be found
HERE, with live stats available
HERE.
Before the Break: In their most recent contests, the orange and blue went 1-1, competing in a pair of tightly contested matchups. The Pioneers first battled Farmingdale State in wintry conditions at home, falling just short in an 8-7 decision despite outscoring the Rams in the second half. Utica responded days later with its first win of the season, earning a 10-9 road victory over Plattsburgh State in a back-and-forth contest that featured seven ties throughout the game. For his efforts in the two outings, senior netminder
Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) was awarded Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors following a 25-save week, saving 59.5% of shots faced in the 120 minutes. Across the two contests, the Pioneers demonstrated balanced scoring and strong performances at the faceoff X while playing two one-goal games against strong opponents heading into the break.
Early Season Scorers: Through the first 180 minutes of play in the 2026 season, some of the top Utica contributors have started to establish themselves at the top of the stat sheets. Junior
Lucas Donahue (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) far and away leads the goal scoring so far, netting seven of the team's 21 total goals. Juniors
Ethan Hunt (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles) and
Michael Reid (Tully, NY/Tully) follow with three goals apiece, with just captain
Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) (two) as the only other multi-goal Pioneer.
Noah Erickson (Auburn, NY/Auburn) leads the team with four assists, followed by Considine with three, and Hunt and
Ryan Hollenbeck (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker) with two each.
Hunt, in his first season in Utica, leads the team with four caused turnovers and 13 ground balls as an attackman. Junior defender
Aaron Bergquist (Brewerton, NY/Central Square) ranks next with three caused turnovers before Hollenbeck,
Michael Mecca (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside),
Vincent Bernardo (Ossining, NY/Ossining), and
Cade Bourcy (Syracuse, NY/Skaneateles) each tie with two. Long stick midfielder
Colin Musso (Auburn, NY/Auburn) has scooped up 12 ground balls so far, while Hollenbeck, Mecca, and
Chase Nappi (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) have each pulled in 10. Utica has seen a healthy split at the faceoff X, with Nappi going 19-of-30 and Bourcy going 17-of-26. Bowen has played all 180:00 between the pipes this season, maintaining an 8.67 goals allowed average and a .600 save percentage.
Laker Lowdown: Oswego State has jumped out to a 4-1 record in the 2026 season, carrying a three-game win streak into its matchup with the Pioneers. The Lakers began their season with a 16-10 victory over Hartwick College on February 21st, before a 14-1 defeat by Clarkson University on March 4th. In the three games since (March 7th against Alfred University, March 11th against SUNY Brockport, and March 14th at SUNY Poly), Oswego has won by scores of 11-9, 14-6, and 13-6, respectively. Excluding the harsh defeat by Clarkson, Oswego State has outscored opponents 54-31, a +23 goal differential.
The Oswego offense has been led by two key players, attackmen Hayden Coney and Emmet Starowicz, both of whom have 17 total points. Coney has scored 12 goals, the most on the team. Four separate Lakers have netted seven goals, but only Coney has reached 8+. Starowicz has assisted on 11 goals and scored 6 to reach his 17. Fellow attacker Doryn Leclair has both scored and assisted seven goals, the second-most of both stats on the team. Senior defender Colton Maher leads the team with eight caused turnovers, while faceoff specialist Austin Sroda, also a senior, holds a strong lead in the ground ball count (24). Sroda has taken all but 10 of the team's 116 total faceoffs, winning at a 40.6% rate. Seamus Hand has been Oswego's top goaltender, earning a 9.77 goals allowed average and a .637 save percentage through 227:12.
Cougar Corner: Misericordia has had an active start to its 2026 season, posting a 4-3 record heading into its contest with Utica. The squad played four games in February, losing three of them. The Cougars began the year with a 17-4 defeat by Stockton University before responding with a 14-6 victory over SUNY Delhi. In the final two games of the month, Misericordia fell to Susquehanna University 10-6 and to Penn College 16-14. To open March, the team has earned victories over Neumann University (17-6), Immaculata University (13-5), and SUNY New Paltz (10-5). Ahead of their matchup with the orange and blue, Misericordia will host SUNY Oneonta on March 17th.
The Cougars' offense has been heavily led by first-year player Jack Simone. He has netted 18 goals, tying junior Ty Murawski for the team lead. Fellow freshman Ian Young has scored 13 times, the only other Cougar with more than seven. Simone leads the team with 16 assists, with Aiden D'Ambrosio being the only other Misericordia player to reach double digits. Junior defender Jack Durphy leads the team in both caused turnovers (nine) and ground balls (21). Several Cougars routinely take faceoff draws, with three players taking between 36 and 49 total draws. As a team, the Cougars are 45/161 at the X, a 28.0% win percentage. Sophomore Leyton Sullivan has played the majority of time in net for Misericordia, posting a 9.33 goals allowed average and a .586 save percentage.
Up Next: Utica will return to action in a home matchup with SUNY Morrisville on Wednesday, March 25th. Opening faceoff is set for 4:00 pm at Gaetano Stadium. The Pioneers will hit the road a few days later for a March 28th matchup at Nazareth University.
