UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's lacrosse team is set to continue its start to the 2026 season in its first two-game week. Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2nd, the Pioneers will host the Farmingdale State College Rams before the team heads out for their first road game at Plattsburgh State on Saturday. Opening faceoff for Utica's home game is set for 4:00 pm, while the game against the Cardinals is set for 12:00 pm at the Plattsburgh Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.

Follow Along: The video stream for all Utica home games can be found HERE. The live stats for all Pioneer men's lacrosse games is available HERE. The video stream in Plattsburgh can be found HERE, with the live stats link available HERE.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers kicked off the 2026 season by hosting the SUNY Potsdam Bears. The visitors jumped out to an early lead in the contest, taking a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before the teams split the second quarter 2-2 to enter halftime. Both squads played a scoreless third frame before the Bears added three goals to Utica's two in the final 15 minutes. Potsdam took the 9-4 victory despite a 24-23 shot on goal count in favor of the Pioneers. The Bears' senior goaltender Saka Thompson played a crucial role in the Potsdam success, making 20 saves.

Early Season Leaders: Utica's offense scoring was balanced against their opponent, with each Pioneer goal being netted by a different player. Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee), Lucas Donahue (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), Ethan Hunt (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles), and Nolan Shea (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) each pocketed a goal in the season opener to complete the orange and blue's scoring. Considine, Donahue, and Hunt additionally recorded an assist each, with Noah Erickson (Auburn, NY/Auburn) recording the final point for the team. Hunt led the team with 11 ground balls, followed by Ryan Hollenbeck (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker) with eight. Eight separate Pioneers recorded at least one caused turnover in the contest, but only Donahue caused a second. At the faceoff X, Chase Nappi (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) took the most draws, winning three-of-nine, followed by Cade Bourcy (Syracuse, NY/Skaneateles), who went two-of-six. Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) played in net for the Pioneer, making 14 saves in the season opener.

Ram Report: Farmingdale State had an active February, playing to a 3-0 record entering their matchup in Utica. The Rams began the season with a Valentine's Day home matchup with DeSales University, followed by another home matchup against the University of Bridgeport four days later. The team took both games by scores of 18-15 and 9-8, before closing the month with a 18-12 victory over Hartwick College on February 28th.

The Rams are led on offense by Joey Forchelli, Ethan Vargas, and Tommy Mai, who have scored 12, 10, and seven goals, respectively. Forchelli has assisted five goals to lead the team with 17 points, while Vargas has added two assists and Mai has notched five assists for both players to reach 12 total points. Adam Giovinco and Casey Fortunato follow close by, as the two tie for the team lead with six assists. Additionally, Forchelli leads the team with 28 shots, followed by Mai (21), Giovinco (18), and Vargas (14) as the remaining players to reach double digits.

Several players from the Farmingdale midfield and defense will look to challenge the Pioneers. Sean Lawson leads the team with 21 ground balls, followed by a three-way tie between Fabrice Cormier, Matt Durnin, and Logan Reese with 11. Durnin leads the team with nine caused turnovers, with Lawson's seven joining him as the only other player above five. Fabrice has served as Farmingdale's top faceoff man, taking 52 of the team's 87 draws and winning 22 of the team's 34. Four goalies have appeared in net for the Rams, but Connor Dobson has played the vast majority of the time (157:58 of 176:51). In that time, Dobson has played to an 11.01 goals allowed average and a .547 save percentage.

Prepping for Plattsburgh: The Cardinals have had a strong offensive start to their 2026 season. In a season-opening road game at Alfred State on February 21st, Plattsburgh took a 17-7 victory, following a similar script in an 18-8 home victory over Norwich four days later. Ahead of their matchup with the Pioneers, the Cardinals will face Curry College on Wednesday, the 4th. 

Plattsburgh's offense has been led by Peter Urso, Dylan Ruland, and Jamie Gipe, with eight, seven, and six goals, respectively. Urso leads the team with four assists, followed by Ruland, Brayden Shattuck, and Connor Wiggins with two. Ruland's 27 and Urso's 24 shots have a heavy lead for the team, as Gipe's 14 is the final Cardinal with 10+.

Gipe leads the team with 13 ground balls, followed by Fynn Whitlock as the only other player to reach 10. Whitlock additionally leads the team with four caused turnovers. Owen O'Hara leads the team at the faceoff X, going 17-of-30, with Nick Arcuri adding another 6-of-13 of the team's 30-of-57 total. Cole Orehosky has played the majority of Plattsburgh's available time in net, earning a 5.71 goals allowed average and a .615 save percentage through 105:00.

Up Next: Utica will continue a short road span in their next game, a March 18th matchup with the Oswego State Lakers. Action in that contest is set for 4:00 pm at the Laker Turf Stadium. The Pioneers next return to home action in a March 25th matchup with SUNY Morrisville.