UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's lacrosse team is set to begin its full-scale Empire 8 schedule over the coming week, beginning with a home challenge against St. John Fisher University, a nationally ranked opponent that has been named the Empire 8's champion each of the last six full seasons (no champion crowned in 2020). Later in the week, the Pioneers will hit the road to take on Keuka College.

Follow Along: For all Utica men's lacrosse home games, the video stream is available HERE, with live stats HERE. Those interested in following the Keuka game can watch the video stream HERE, and find live stats HERE.

Last Week's Recap: Utica wrapped up non-conference play and opened Empire 8 action with a pair of contests last week, beginning with a tightly contested home matchup against SUNY Morrisville before heading to Nazareth. Against the Mustangs, the Pioneers controlled much of the statistical play, holding advantages in shots on goal, ground balls, turnovers, and faceoffs, but were unable to convert that control into a win, falling 15-10. Ethan Hunt (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles) led the offensive effort with four goals, while Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) added a goal and two assists. Six additional Pioneers found the back of the net, highlighting a balanced scoring attack. At the X, the faceoff unit delivered a strong showing, going 23-of-29.

The Pioneers then opened conference play on the road at Nazareth, where Considine paced the offense with two goals and one assist, and Ryan Hollenbeck (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker) added a pair of goals himself. Nolan Shea (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) contributed a goal and an assist as the Pioneers continued to generate offense against a strong opponent. Defensively, Chase Nappi (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna), Aaron Bergquist (Brewerton, NY/Central Square), Landen Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley), and Colin Musso (Auburn, NY/Auburn) each recorded two caused turnovers, while Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) made 11 saves in 41 minutes in net. Utica showed resilience with its most productive stretch coming in the third quarter and closed the game with strong execution in clears and faceoffs, continuing to compete through the final whistle against a strong Empire 8 opponent.

Early Contributions: Over the offseason, Utica men's lacrosse welcomed in 11 new members, all but one as a freshman. The largest impact so far in their new jerseys has come from the one non-freshman, an incoming junior attackman transfer, Ethan Hunt (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles). Starting all seven Utica games this year, Hunt began contributing from day one, scoring one goal and one assist in his Pioneer debut, marking the start of a six-game goal streak in the orange and blue. While his point streak concluded in the team's loss to Nazareth, Hunt turned in 10 goals and four assists over the span, enough to currently place him with the second most on the team. Of the remaining incoming class, just two more have recorded points: midfielders Danny Dunn (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Mason Little (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa). Dunn has netted two goals, one against Farmingdale State and the other against Oswego State, while Little netted one against Morrisville State. 

While not yet appearing on the scoring sheet, several new Pioneers have already been earning significant playing time. Of the 10 freshmen, Ethan Ayotte (Waterford, NY/La Salle Institute) and Elijah Lowder (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) have earned a game started credit. While not yet starting, long stick midfielder James McDonald (Porters Corners, NY/Albany Academy) has been a consistent force in the squad. Incoming goalies Jack Rawleigh (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) and Brendan Griffey (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) both made their first appearances in Utica's loss at Nazareth, getting their first taste of the collegiate-level game.

Cardinal Corner: The St. John Fisher University Cardinals have jumped out to an 8-1 record in 2026. Sitting 11th-ranked nationally, the Cardinals have started 2026 strong. The squad began the season on a 6-0 run, including a 12-8 victory over then-#11-ranked St. Lawrence University. The winning streak ended on March 18th, when St. John Fisher fell 17-12 to RIT, a squad currently ranked sixth in the country. Three days later, the Cardinals responded by defeating #19 Cortland 10-8. In their most recent game, March 28th at home against Russell Sage, the squad piled on a 29-2 victory.

The Cardinal offense has been led by a pair of juniors: Scott Bovard and Sean Donaldson. Bovard holds the team leads for both goals (24) and assists (13), with Donaldson close behind, netting 21 goals and assisting another nine. Those two players are the only two to achieve 30+ so far, but senior Lane Edinger sits close by with 16 goals and 12 assists, the final SJF player with more than 23 total points. In total, six Cardinals have netted double-digit goals, with five total players achieving 10+ helpers. Tying Edinger for the second most assists is junior Robbie Salit, who has also recorded 12. Freshman defender Connor Gray leads the squad with 16 caused turnovers, one of just five players to tally more than three, and one of four to reach 11+. SJF's primary faceoff men, freshman Jonah Vormwald and senior Bryce Riffel, have dominated the ground ball category for the team, combining for 103, over a quarter of the team's 372 total. At the X, Vormwald has gone 102-of-145, with Riffel winning 65 of 99 draws. Senior netminder Tyler Manning has had a firm hold on St. John Fisher's top goaltending slot, posting a 9.11 goals allowed average and a .570 save percentage through 467:30 of play.

Keys to Keuka: Through the first half of the 2026 season, Keuka's men's lacrosse team has pulled out multiple win and loss streaks. The 5-3 Wolves defeated Thiel College 26-4 and the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford 8-6 in their first two matchups before falling to Lycoming College 12-9 and SUNY Morrisville 23-4 in the next two. The squad then pulled off three straight home victories over Alfred State (10-9), Elmira College (16-12), and Hilbert College (23-9). In the team's most recent contest, on March 28th on the road at SUNY Poly, the Wolves fell by a score of 15-2. Ahead of their Utica matchup, the squad will additionally play Alfred University on Wednesday. 

The Wolves' offense has been led by junior attackman Harrison Root, who has netted 31 of the team's 98 goals, assisting another five. His 31 scores hold a significant lead over his teammates, as he is one of just seven players with more than one goal, one of four to net eight or more, and the only one to eclipse 18+. The remaining 10+ goal scorers consist of Austin Holsclaw (17), Aiden Nice (15), and Tre Lloyd (12). Holsclaw leads the team with 13 assists, followed by Nikolas Gitsis with 11, and Nice with nine. Freshman defender Lorenzo Rand has been a dominating presence on the Keuka defense, leading the squad in both caused turnovers (28) and ground balls (33). He holds a sizeable lead in the caused turnovers count, followed by senior defender Jayden Greco with 13, the only other Wolf with more than eight. In the ground ball tally, Rand holds a smaller margin, followed by Holsclaw with 27. Roman Hoyser and Cole Davis have acted as a one-two punch at the faceoff X for the team, going 41-of-108 and 51-of-95 in their respective draws. Sophomore Jaxson Tucker has played the entire 468:20 between the pipes this season for Keuka, posting an 11.53 goals allowed average and a .548 save percentage.

Up Next: After the game with Keuka, Utica will hit the road again in the squad's following matchup, a crosstown challenge with SUNY Poly. Opening faceoff in that contest is set for 4:00 pm at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field. The Pioneers return to Gaetano Stadium the following Saturday, April 11th, in a 1:00 pm matchup with SUNY Brockport.