Utica, NY (4/16/12)- The Utica College women's lacrosse team will host Keuka College for the final home game of the season, Wednesday.  The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

Last Time Out: UC is coming off a 10-5 loss to #17 Stevens Institute of Technology… Senior Katlyn Banker (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) led the Pioneers with four goals on the day.

Where We Sit: Utica is currently 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the Empire 8...  UC is in a three-way tie with Elmira (7-4 overall, 1-3 Empire 8) and Hartwick (5-6 overall, 1-3 Empire 8) for fifth place in the conference standings … Ithaca College (7-3 overall, 4-0 Empire 8) sits in first place, followed by Stevens (8-4 overall, 3-1 Empire 8), St. John Fisher (8-4 overall, 3-1 Empire 8), and Nazareth (5-6 overall, 3-1 Empire 8) who are all tied for second… Alfred (4-7 overall, 0-4 Empire 8) rounds out the bracket in the final spot.

Bank on Banker: Senior Katlyn Banker (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) leads UC in goals (32), assists (14), and points (46)… She is tied for third in the conference averaging 4.67 points per game and she is fifth in the conference with 3.11 goals per game and 1.56 assists per game.

Between the Pipes: Standout senior Shelby Barbay (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) has been rock-solid in the net for the Pioneers all season… Barbay, the College's all-time wins leader, has compiled 76 saves, 41 ground balls, and 15 caused turnovers in over 500 minutes of work… Barbay is second in the conference with 3.89 ground balls per game and a .538 save percentage.

Balanced Attack: Six different Pioneers have totaled 10 or more points on the season… Freshmen Samantha Gebler (Vestal, NY/Vestal), Patricia Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville), Megan Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville), and Morgan Dupont rank second, fourth, fifth, and sixth in scoring on the team, respectively… Gebler has 12 goals and eight assists, Patricia Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) has 13 goals and four assists, while her sister has 12 goals and four assists...  Dupont has tallied three goals and seven assists wheras senior Maria Santucci (Holliston, MA/Marian) ranks third on the team with 18 points, on 16 goals and two assists.

Scouting Keuka: The Storm are currently 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the NEAC Conference… They are coming off an 18-7 victory over Medaille College on Saturday… UC is 2-0 against the Storm dating back to 2006…  The last meeting between the two teams was in 2009 when the Pioneers defeated Keuka 15-3.

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action Saturday as they travel to Alfred, NY to take on the AU Saxons... Face-off is set for 1 p.m.


                                             --- www.ucpioneers.com ---