Utica, NY (4/12/12) – The Utica College women's lacrosse team returns to action this weekend when conference foe and nationally ranked Stevens Institute of Technology comes to town. 

Game Time: Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

Last Time Out: Last game against Nazareth College the Pioneers couldn't quite overcome early struggles and lost by a final score of 10-7. Senior Katlyn Banker (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) led the way for UC with three goals and one assist, while freshman Megan Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) netted two goals and also tallied one assist.

Money in the Bank: Senior Katlyn Banker (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) has been having a standout senior season for Utica this year.  She is tied for third in the conference averaging 4.67 points per game.  Banker also ranks fifth in the conference in goals per game (3.11), and assists per game (1.56).  Last week in three games for UC, Banker had eight goals, six assists, and eight groundballs.

Between the Pipes: Senior goalie Shelby Barbay (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) has been nothing short of spectacular this season for the Pioneers.  This past week Barbay won Empire 8 Goalie of the Week for the third straight time.  Over the course of the first nine games for the Pioneers, the two-time conference goalie of the year has played just under 500 minutes, faced 162 shots, made 72 saves, has picked up 35 ground balls, and caused 10 turnovers.

Balanced Scoring Attack: The Pioneers currently have five women with 16 or more points on the season.  Senior Katlyn Banker (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) leads the way with 42 points followed by senior classmate Maria Santucci (Holliston, MA/Marian) and freshman Samantha Gebler (Vestal, NY/Vestal) with 18.  Rounding out the list are sisters Patricia Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) and Meghan Kane with 17 and 16 points respectively. 

Stevens Tech: The Ducks (7-3 overall, 2-1 Empire 8) are currently ranked 17th in the nation.  As a team, they are ranked 25th in caused turnovers per game, averaging 10.3.  Senior Jenna Scheibling is ranked 19th nationally in assists with 25 and 17th nationally in assists per game. Last season Stevens handled Utica winning by a final score of 11-6.

Conference Standing: Currently Ithaca College (6-3 overall, 3-0 Empire 8) is atop the standings in the Empire 8 conference.  Stevens (7-3 overall, 2-1 Empire 8), Nazareth (5-5 overall, 2-1 Empire 8), and St. John Fisher (7-4 overall, 2-1 Empire 8) are tied for second, while Elmira (4-3 overall, 1-2 Empire 8), is tied with UC (5-4 overall, 1-2 Empire 8), and and Hartwick (5-5 overall, 1-2 Empire 8) for fourth, and Alfred University (4-5 overall, 0-3 Empire 8) rounds out the standings ranked eighth.  

UC returns to action Wednesday, April 18, when they host their final home game of the regular season against Keuka College at 4 p.m.

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