New Era of Pioneer Lacrosse Debuts Saturday

A new era of Alfred State lacrosse debuts on Saturday when the Pioneers host Keuka College at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium. The contest is the first under new head coach Jonathan Hoover.

Hoover, who started at Alfred State in July and is also the men's soccer coach, will field a roster that has a pretty even split of returners (12) and newcomers (13). The roster features just one senior and two juniors. The team will look to build on the end of the 2015 season in which they split their final six games.

Hoover is excited about the start of the season. "We are looking to improve on last year's results.  We have a very young team and we are looking to build a solid foundation for success over the next few years. The players have been working hard during the preseason and are ready to go."

Sophomore attackmen Aaron Buck (Churchville Chili), junior goalie Ryan Amidon (Fayetteville Manlius), junior defensemen Joseph Carr (Churchville Chili), and senior defensemen Nicholas Scalise (Washingtonville) will be counted on to lead the way for the blue and gold.

• Buck had a solid freshmen campaign in which he led the team with 54 points (34 goals and 20 assists). He recorded five hat tricks on the season and had a season best 10 goals vs. Houghton.
• Amidon appeared in all 17 games in net last season. He made 202 saves including a season best 27 saves in a victory over SUNY Canton.
• Carr appeared in all 17 games and has played in 33 career games. He has picked up 33 ground balls in his career thus far.
• Scalise played in all 17 games last year and has played in 31 games during his career. He has picked up 21 ground balls including 14 last season.

Coach Hoover will look to newcomers Kyle Hoke (Tully), Joe Johnson (Churchville), and Jared Gates (Hilton) to be key contributors.

The Pioneers schedule features opponents from the NEAC, Empire 8, and the SUNYAC along with a two-game trip to North Carolina.