The Hamilton College men's lacrosse team improved to 2-0 with a 19-10 win over host Utica College in a non-league game Wednesday at Utica's Gaetano Stadium. With the win, the Continentals claim the Contineer Cup traveling trophy.

Hamilton scored at least four goals in each quarter in handing the Pioneers a loss in their season opener. The Continentals improved to 17-1 in the all-time series.

Clay McCollum '19 scored a season-best five goals and Chad Morse '19 netted a career-high five points. Morse and Eric Zurmuehle '18 finished with three goals apiece.

Zurmuehle also won 19 of 24 faceoffs; he scored two goals nine seconds apart after scooping up ground balls off faceoff victories. Those goals – in the first minute of the second quarter – put the visitors up 6-3 and Utica never got any closer.

After the Pioneers scored the game's first goal, McCollum tied the score 5:14 into the opening period and 3:03 later Hamilton went ahead on an unassisted goal by Chris Conley '20. McCollum scored twice in the second quarter and added back-to-back goals late in the third.

Dominic Castiglia led Utica with four goals, including the first score of the game. He pulled the Pioneers to within 4-3 by opening the second period with a goal.

J.D. Brachman '17 had a hand in the game's last three goals, assisting on goals by Jordan Fong '18 and Owen McCarthy '20 before scoring his first goal of 2017 with 27 seconds remaining.

After Conley's go-ahead goal in the first, Jake Bratek tied the score at 2-2 with 3:37 left. Morse set up Matt Hermann '17 to put Hamilton up for good, then – after Zurmuehle won the ensuing faceoff – scored with 64 seconds to go in the period.

Liam Wheatley, who assisted on Bratek's first period goal, provided the only Pioneer score during a 5-1 Continental run over the last 14:38 of the second quarter. Brickman House assisted on both of Utica's second-period goals before scoring three second-half goals.

Jack Gaul '18 scored twice in the third quarter; his second score, with six seconds remaining in the third, put Hamilton up 15-7. Nate Weinrauch '17 assisted on the last three goals of the third, including McCollum's fourth and fifth scores.

House scored twice in the first 3:16 of the final quarter and Castiglia closed out the 3-0 Pioneer run to pull Utica to 15-10.

Zurmuehle led all players with 11 ground balls. Casey Kopp '17 picked up five, with Conley, Rob Arrix '19 and Connor Crutchfield '17 adding three apiece.

Tyler Nicolaus paced the Pioneers with six ground balls. Parker Smith, who made 10 saves in goal, collected five.

John Schisler '17 stopped six shots in 56 minutes for Hamilton. Noah Weissmann '18 closed out the game in goal and made one stop.

The Continentals outshot Utica 51-23 and won 24 of 32 faceoffs. In addition to Zurmuehle's big day at the X, Trip Connors '17 won five of eight attempts.

Hamilton returns to NESCAC action Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at Wesleyan University.