ONEONTA, NY - Utica University's men's lacrosse team made the program's second appearance in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, lining up with #4-seeded Hartwick College in its First Round matchup. Looking to avenge a heartbreaking loss to the Hawks from less than a week ago, the Pioneers flipped the result, defeating their hosts 13-12 to earn Utica's first-ever postseason victory. The orange and blue are now set to face #1-seeded Nazareth University in the Semifinal Round on Thursday.
Utica had seven players score at least one point, with five of them reaching four or five total. The trio of
Lucas Donahue (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake),
Ryan Considine (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee), and
Nolan Shea (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) all achieved five, Donahue and Considine via four goals and one assist, and Shea with five helpers. Considine's assist gives him 33 overall in 2026, breaking Utica's single-season assist record.
Michael Reid (Tully, NY/Tully) (2g, 2a) and
Noah Erickson (Auburn, NY/Auburn) (4a) completed Utica's 3+ point scorers.
Ryan Hollenbeck (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker) scored twice and
Danny Dunn (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) once to complete the orange and blue's goal scoring. All 13 Utica goals were matched with an assist.
Landen Frey (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) led the team with three caused turnovers, while faceoff specialist
Chase Nappi (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) pulled in a team-leading six ground balls. At the X, Nappi won 12-of-15, while
Cade Bourcy (Syracuse, NY/Skaneateles) chipped in 6-of-13. Netminder
Jake Bowen (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) turned in 10 saves in the victory.
Hartwick matched Utica's point-scorer count with seven, led by Colin August with four goals and one assist. Liam McManus (3g, 1a) and Mason Adams (2g, 2a) each turned in four points. Colby Simonetti scored twice, while Spencer Hogaboom netted and assisted one goal. Cael Lawson and Matthew Paquette each earned an assist to round out the Hawks' point scoring. Harry Rubin led the team in transition, causing three turnovers and pulling in six ground balls. Owen Ryan led the team at the X, going 9-of-25, while Ty Crowley went 1-of-3. Between the pipes, Kaiden Johnson made 15 saves.
The Pioneers jumped ahead at the start of the game, netting each of the first three scores. Erickson found Considine 4:27 in before Shea turned in assists on goals by Dunn and Considine within the next 2:33. Over four minutes later, McManus struck back for Hartwick to cut the lead back. Considine completed a first-quarter hat trick with another goal from Erickson with 3:17 left in the frame. To close out the quarter, goals by Hogaboom and Simonetti brought Hartwick closer, but still trailing 4-3 after 15 minutes.
The early second quarter was the "Donahue Show," as the junior midfielder scored three goals within a 3:05 span. The first goal, from Shea, came at the 13:33 mark before Erickson assisted on the next two. Neither team could score for the next nine minutes until Adams struck back for Hartwick with the final goal of the half. Both teams entered the break with Utica's lead now extended to 7-4.
After a lull in the second quarter, teams came out hot in the second half, combining to score nine goals, the most of any quarter. It took some time for the run to start, as neither team opened the scoring until Hartwick's McManus beat the keeper 3:29 into the half. Two and a half minutes later, a man-up goal by Hollenbeck, from Considine, started a brief Utica run. With 8:16 left, Reid netted a pass from Donahue before assisting on a Considine goal 1:18 later. Hartwick responded with a three-goal span of their own, with scores by Simonetti, August, and Adams within 3:39. Shea assisted on two late goals for the Pioneers, coming by Donahue with 1:25 left, and Reid with 39 seconds remaining. Entering the final frame, the orange and blue led 12-8.
With the team's season approaching its end, Hartwick looked to claw back into the contest. August put the team on his back, scoring three straight goals in the final quarter. His first goal came from Adams with 12:01 left, while his next two came unassisted at the 9:41 and 5:47 marks. 2:01 after August's final, with 3:46 left in regulation, McManus finished a feed from Hogaboom to even the score at 12-12. Utica won the ensuing faceoff, maintaining possession until Reid found Hollenbeck with 2:31 remaining to take the lead back. Hartwick won the next faceoff and managed to take a shot on goal, but a save by Bowen and a successful clear by the Pioneers marked the beginning of the end for the Hawks. Within the final minutes, Hartwick was tagged with two separate penalties to seal the deal for the first Pioneer postseason victory.
Utica men's lacrosse's 2026 postseason run will now continue in a Semifinal Round matchup with #1-seeded Nazareth University. Opening faceoff at NLPA Field is set for 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 30th.
