Patricia Kane and the Pioneers look to extend their win streak, Saturday against SUNY Potsdam
Utica, NY (3/8/13) – The Utica College women's lacrosse team will be looking to stay perfect as it hosts non-conference rival SUNY Potsdam Saturday, Mar. 9... Face-off is set for 1 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on the Utica College campus.
Short Road Traveled: The Pioneers are currently 2-0 on the year… Their 11-7 victory over Skidmore on Wednesday Mar. 6 marked the first time in program history that the team opened up with back-to-back wins… Utica showed a strong outing in its home opener earning its most lopsided victory ever, 20-1, and will be looking to extend the streak on Saturday.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers hope to extend this trend for the rest of the year and make a run at the postseason for the first time since 2006… The team has finished in fifth place, right outside of playoff contention, for the last five years… UC is in the hunt for its first-ever 10+ win season… The current single-season win record of nine was accomplished in 2008.
Leading the Way: Freshman
Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy) and sophomore
Morgan DuPont (Wynantskill, NY/Averill Park) are leading the way for the Pioneers so far this season... Wheeler has a team-high seven goals to go along with two assists good enough for nine points... She has tallied four groundballs and three caused turnovers in the young season... DuPont, who opened the season with a team-best seven points, is now tied with Wheeler with nine points overall… She has five goals, and a team-high four assists so far, to go along with four groundballs and three caused turnovers.
Sister Act: Sophomores
Megan Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) and
Patricia Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) have helped fuel the offense with five goals apiece so far... Megan's five goals lands her fourth on the team with five points, while sister Patricia added one assist in the two games to bump her season total to six points, landing her third on the team... Megan has also added six groundballs on the year, which puts her in a three-way tie with senior goalkeeper
Stephanie Belanger (Lewiston, ME/Lewiston) and freshman midfielder
Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport).
Between the Posts: Belanger, who earned the Conference's first Goalie of the Week recognition for the 2013 season, has come out in strong fashion… She has allowed just eight goals over the course of the first two games, and has compiled a .579 save percentage... The senior standout has helped lift the Pioneers to a 2-0 mark so far and is still in search of her first shutout of the season.
Scouting the Bears: The Potsdam Bears are coming off a 15-9 season-opening victory against Clarkson University... Sophomores Margaret Wall and Bailey Weigel led all Bears with three goals apiece... The Pioneers are 8-1 against Potsdam dating back to 2003… UC's only loss to Potsdam came in the 2010 season when it fell 5-8 at the Bears home field.
The Pioneers return to action for another home contest on Wednesday Mar. 13 as they take on The Sage Colleges. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
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