UTICA, N.Y. – The College at Brockport men's lacrosse team picked up a strong road win on Sunday, bypassing Utica College 13-8.
 
The Golden Eagles improve to 2-3 on the season while the Pioneers now have a record of 1-2.
 
It wasn't the Green and Gold who got on the board first, but they made up for it, doubling up the Pioneers in the first quarter with four goals. Kieran Fitzgerald got the assist from Brendan Fitzgerald to open scoring on a man down situation to even the contest at 1-1. B. Fitzgerald then worked in his own goal to take the 2-1 lead with 7:25 to play.
 
After a second Utica score, the Golden Eagles picked up a pair of goals to close the half, with scores from Liam Cannon and Pete Barilla to finish the quarter and boast a 4-2 lead.
 
In the second, the Green and Gold offense kept churning, posting two quick scores, from Barilla and Jake Giudice to lift Brockport 6-2 with 4:26 to play in the half. The Golden Eagles would see the Pioneers work in a goal, but took a strong 6-3 lead into the break.
 
The second half saw an explosion of scoring, with six goals in each of the final two quarters. Utica opened the second half with a goal, but Brockport had the answer, with a Giudice goal from a Zach Cook set up and a Cannon score in a man-up opportunity. The Pioneers would strike again, but Brockport posted the two goal answer, with Barilla and Cannon each notching a goal to close the frame.
 
In the final period of action, Brockport saw the Pioneers sneak in a pair to open play. Jake Recor shut down the Utica scoring streak, burying a K. Fitzgerald set up and post the 11-7 lead. Giudice added an insurance goal at the 5:28 mark, putting away a B. Fitzgerald pass to post a 12-7 edge. The two teams traded goals to end the contest, with Barilla's goal acting as the final word, as Brockport secured the 13-8 victory.
 
While the offense had a strong showing, the Green and Gold defensive unit had a solid day as well. Steven Gurin led the way with three caused turnovers and an impressive nine ground balls, while K. Fitzgerald chipped in with two CT's. Cook added nine ground balls as well, where he also went 18-of-24 from the face off circle.
 
Conor Nowak picked up his second win of the season and all 60 minutes of action in the cage for the Golden Eagles, where he made an notable 10 saves on the day.
 
As a team, Brockport overwhelmed their counterparts, with an edge in shots (35-31), shots on goal (25-18), ground balls (35-23) and face offs (18-6).
 
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on March 25 when they head to Williamsport, Pa. to take on Lycoming College.
 
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