ALFRED, NY- A total of 10 players found the back of the net as the Alfred University men's lacrosse team won by a 12-8 score over Utica College on Saturday from Yunevich Stadium. The Saxons (4-0, 2-0 Empire 8) won the ground ball battle by a 32-15 margin, while the Pioneers (3-0, 1-0 Empire 8) were called for 11 penalties.

Alfred finished with 44 shots in their win. The Saxons were 12-of-14 in clear attempts and won 17 of 22 face-off opportunities.

The Saxons were guided by sophomore attack Paul Forte (Greece, NY/Greece Athena), who ended with two goals and two assists.  First-year midfielder Josh Hauman (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) was responsible for two goals to go with one assist. Junior goalie Scott Kimiecik (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) picked up his fourth win for the Saxons, totaling 11 saves.

"We made adjustments at the half and executed according to plan," Head Coach Jason Lockner said. "We talked about better shot placement and made some adjustments at the midfield position."

The Saxons were quick to get on the board, as goals from Hauman, junior attack Connor Didomineck (Bath, NY/Haverling), and graduate defender Shane Weber (Hull, MA/Hull) in the first five minutes of action permitted Alfred a 3-0 lead. The Pioneers scored their first goal at the 4:43 mark, but it was quickly answered with a score by junior midfielder Kaelan Winkky (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads). Utica found the back of the net three more times, forcing a 4-4 draw at the end of the first quarter.

The Saxons only needed 17 seconds to take the lead back, as Hauman recorded his second goal on an assist from sophomore midfielder Noah Germano (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder). Sophomore attack Drew Cartwright (Elmira, NY/Elmira) found an opening moments later, as Alfred gained a 6-4 advantage. Utica scored once more, but it was retaliated by goals from sophomore attack Justin Mosher (Hilton, NY/Hilton) and senior faceoff Garrette Briggs (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) as the Saxons went into halftime with 8-5 lead.

After the Pioneers scored the opening goal in the third quarter, Forte found the back of the net to retain Alfred's lead. Utica scored once more, as the Saxon led by a 9-7 margin entering the final quarter.

The Saxons made an offensive push in the early stages of the fourth quarter, as graduate midfielder Jake McNaney (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) scored 45 seconds into action. Additional goals from Forte and sophomore midfielder Dawson Flenchak (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) paved the way for Alfred to close out the game.

"We may be undefeated, but we didn't play at our highest level," Lockner said. "Coming off a 10-day pause played a role on our conditioning. We got it done and I'm proud of our guys."

Alfred will next travel to play Sage Colleges on Wednesday at 4pm from ACP Stadium.