UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's lacrosse team travels to Ithaca College on Sunday for an Empire 8 matchup against the Bombers. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out: Utica beat conference opponent Hartwick College 16-6 Wednesday and making it their third straight win … The Pioneers took a 11-4 lead after the first half and carried the momentum in to the second-half  outscoring Hartwick 5-2 …. Senior Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy) led the team with six points (four goals and two assist) which tied her career-high and sophomore Brooke Miller (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) finished with a season-high five points (four goals and one assist) on the night.

A Look At The E8: The Pioneers (9-5) are currently tied with Stevens for third in the Empire 8 Conference with a 4-2 mark in league play… UC has two conference games remaining, Sunday against Ithaca and next Saturday at Nazareth… The Pioneers can clinch a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament with a win against either Ithaca or Nazareth… UC also needs just one more win to tie the program record for wins in a season.

Leading the Way: Senior Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy) leads the team with 44 points (35 goals, nine assists) and she has scored 27 goals in the last nine games … Rebecca Plunkett (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) has a team-high 39 goals and added two assists … Plunkett is sixth in the Empire 8 in goals per game (2.79) and first in draw controls per game (5.43) … Wheeler is seventh in the E8 in goals per game (2.50) and ninth in points per game (3.14).

Helping Out: Utica has six other players with 10 or more points on the season … Brooke Miller (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) is third on the team with 13 goals and she has dished out a team-high 12 assists … She is eighth in the conference in assists per game (.86) … Freshman Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) has 21 points off of 16 goals and five assists, while senior Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) has 15 points on 12 goals and three assists … Junior Amanda Chruscicki (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) … Freshman Mary Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has 12 points off of 10 goals and two assists and junior transfer Sara Hennessey (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) has 12 points off on four goals and eight assists.

Leading the Defense: Senior Briana Estabrook (Tully, NY/Tully ) leads the Pioneers with 29 caused turnovers while junior Maggie Notter (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes) is right behind her with 28 caused turnovers … Senior Mary Morgan Marafino (Monroe, NY/Central Square) is third on the team with 19 caused turnovers … Estabrook is third in the Empire 8 in caused turnovers per game (2.07) while Notter is fourth (2.00).

In the Net: Senior Kells Casey (Sandwich, MA/Kimball Union Academy) is 7-4 in the net with 56 saves, a .427 save percentage, and an 8.57 goals against average … Sophomore Amanda Lupo (Auburn, NY/Skaneateles) has appeared in seven games with a 2-0 record … Lupo has 20 saves, a .556 save percentage, and a 5.15 goals against average … Senior Erin Jacobson (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) has appeared in seven games this season, while starting one … Jacobson has 9 saves, a .231 save percentage, and a 13.74 goals against average … Casey is seventh in the Empire 8 in goals against average, eighth in saves per game (5.05), and ninth in save percentage … Lupo is third in the Empire 8 in goals against average, and first in save percentage.

Scouting Ithaca: Ithaca (9-4) sits atop the conference with a 5-0 mark in league play, and the Bombers are currently receiving votes in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) national poll… The Bombers are led by Morgan Racicot, who has 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) and Riley Marion, who has 43 points (38 goals, five assists)… Kimberly Presuto (53 saves, 8.05 goals against average, and a .515 saves percentage) and Emily Ross (50 saves, 10.16 goals against average, and a .420 saves percentage) have split time in net for Ithaca.

Against the Bombers: Utica is 2-13 all-time against Ithaca College … The Pioneers lost last season 10-9 after the Bombers scored a goal with 18 seconds left in regulation to beat Utica.

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on the road for the last game of the regular season against conference opponent Nazareth College on Saturday … The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.