Box Score Utica College 16, Alfred University 9 - Women's Lacrosse Final

Utica, NY (4/19/2013) – The Utica College women's lacrosse team is now one win shy of tying the school-record for wins in a single-season after defeating visiting Alfred University 16-9 in Empire 8 Conference action at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium Friday night.  The Pioneers will turn right back around to take on conference foe Elmira College Saturday at 1 p.m. in their final regular season home game of the year.  Utica sophomore Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) led UC with four goals and one assist, while classmate Megan Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) added three goals and two assists.

The Pioneers (8-4, 2-3 Empire 8) netted four of the game's final five goals to pull away from the Saxons (3-5, 1-5 Empire 8) in the final 8:25 of action. 

UC outshot the visitors 41-19 on the day, while Alfred won the ground ball battle 22-21.  Morgan DuPont (Wynantskill, NY/Averill Park) netted two goals and added one assist for Utica, as did freshman Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy), and sophomore Julia Primps (Ossining, NY/Ossining) netted two goals of her own for the Pioneers. 

UC came out of the gates hot and took a 7-1 lead in the first 10:10 of the contest behind two goals from Megan Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) and one each from Steele-Norton, Patricia Kane (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville), DuPont, Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) and Julia Primps (Ossining, NY/Ossining).  Alfred was able to outscore UC 4-2 in the final 17:34 of the first half to cut its deficit to 9-5 at the intermission.

Alfred's Kaitlyn Button and Ashley White each netted a free position goal early in the second half to help the Saxons pull to within three goals, 10-7, with 19:27 left in the contest.  That was as close as the visitors would get as the Pioneers closed the door by scoring six of the game's final eight goals. 

White, Button and Ali Garcia account for all nine of the Saxons goals.  White finished with a team-best four, while Garcia added three and Button finished the afternoon with two tallies. 

Utica junior midfielder Jennifer Rogaski (Schenectady, NY/Colonie Central) caused a game-high five turnovers and she scooped up three ground balls, while Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy) added a team-high eight draw controls.

Samantha Gebler (Vestal, NY/Vestal) netted a goal and assisted on another for Utica, while Vanessa Maines (Boxborough, MA/Acton-Boxborough Regional) also picked up an assist. 

UC goalie Stephanie Belanger (Lewiston, ME/Lewiston) stopped eight shots in her eighth victory of the season, while Taylor Tarajos made 11 saves in between the pipes for Alfred.