UTICA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's lacrosse team dismantled Utica in a 24-10 road victory, Thursday afternoon. Oneonta had 13 players record a point, seven recorded at least two, as the team built a double-digit lead early in the second period to cruise to the victory. The Red Dragons improved to 3-4 on the season while the Pioneers dropped to 1-4 overall.
Sophomore
Thomas Hnis (Smithtown, N.Y./Kings Park) and junior
Jamie O'Neil (Bath, N.Y./Haverling) both tied their career-highs with nine points. Hnis finished with eight goals and an assist, and O'Neil put up two goals with seven assists. Senior
Stephen Barikyan (Tappan/Tappan Zee) was 21-for-25 on faceoffs and had a career-high 13 ground balls. With the performance, Barikyan had tied the second most faceoffs won, and ground balls collected, in a game in program history.
Senior
Vincent Herbstman (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) scored the first two goals of the game to give Oneonta a 2-0 lead in the opening four minutes. In between a pair of Utica goals, sophomore
Finn Morris (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) recorded his first career goal with a wide-open shot in front of the net off a pass from senior
Vincent Tirino (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue).
With a slight one-goal edge, the Red Dragons scored 10 unanswered to take a 13-2 lead with 7:52 left in the first half. Hnis scored five times during the stretch, junior
Anthony Munro (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) had a goal and an assist, and senior
Matthew Krieg (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) hit the back of the net then dished it to Morris for his second of the game. Herbstman added one for his hat trick and O'Neil hit the final goal, while he assisted on five goals throughout the run to put them up 11.
The teams traded a pair of goals in the closing minutes of the second period. O'Neil assisted Hnis on a man-up opportunity then found Tirino as the Red Dragons went into halftime up 15-4.
Utica made the first goal of the third quarter before Oneonta scored six straight for a 21-5 lead at 6:14. Junior
Sergio Ilario (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) sprinted past his defender and received the ball from O'Neil for the goal. Junior
Daniel Macchiarella (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) bounced one past the Pioneer keeper, then Krieg ran by his defender with the ball for the goal in front of the net. Hnis outmuscled his defender for an open score, Morris dished it to O'Neil for a no-look goal, and sophomore
Johnny Terrana (St. James, N.Y./Smithtown East) lasered in his first collegiate goal for the 16-goal advantage.
Sophomore
Trevor Murray (Edgewater, Md./Ward Melville) recorded his first point as a Red Dragon with an assist to Tirino and Oneonta went into the fourth quarter ahead 22-8.
Both teams scored two goals in the final period for the 24-10 final. Hnis scored on another extra-man opportunity off a pass from Tirino, and senior
Gavin Teiner (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) created space off his defender and scored his first goal of the season for the Red Dragons final goal of the game.
Tirino and Krieg each finished with two goals and two assists for four points. Herbstman finished with a hat trick, Morris netted two goals with an assist, and Munro had a goal and an assist.
Junior
Aidan Greene (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) collected four ground balls, senior
Andrew Guinto (Syracuse/West Genesee) had three ground balls along with an assist, freshman
Hunter Busch (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) caused two turnovers and picked up two ground balls, and senior
Dashawn Trotman (Brentwood/Brentwood) caused a turnover and had two ground balls. Freshman
Sean Grimes (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Croton-on-Hudson) was 4-for-6 on faceoffs and sophomore
Nathan Nurse (Brooklyn, N.Y./Uncommon Collegiate Charter) went 4-for-7, both had two ground balls.
Freshman
Mark Restivo (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) started in goal for 38:46 and saved four shots for the Red Dragons. Junior
Ryan Collins (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) played for 12:12 and stopped three shots, sophomore
Ben Thayer (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) had one save in 5:52, and junior
Tyler Carroll (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) played the final 3:10.
Oneonta outshot Utica 53-33 overall, 32-18 on target, and held a 41-19 advantage in ground balls. The team went 2-for-5 on the extra man opportunities and 20-for-20 on clear attempts, while the Pioneers were 0-for-3 on the man-up and 20-for-21 on clears.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Saturday, March 22, for a home game against Misericordia at 1 pm on Red Dragon Field.
