Utica, NY – The Utica College women's lacrosse team will play its first Empire 8 conference game of the season, as they host Houghton College on Saturday. The game is set to begin at 12 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers improved their record to 2-3 on the season and snapped a three game losing streak after defeating Cazenovia, 18-6, in their last game … UC was able to outscore its opponent 13-4 in the first half … Brooke Miller (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) tied her career-high with seven goals in the contest to lead the Pioneers to victory … Colleen Dowling (Fairport, NY/Fairport) finished with six points on four goals and two assists while teammate Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) added one goal and three assists ... Goalkeeper's Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central), Emily Holtshouser (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry), and Amanda Lupo (Auburn, NY/Skaneateles) combined for five saves in the contest, as Vandermeulen earned the win. 

Attacking the Net: Throughout the Pioneers' three game losing streak, prior to the win over Cazenovia, the team averaged 14.3 shots on goal per game ... In the matchup with Cazenovia, UC recorded a season-high of 32 shots on goal ... The team also took the most total shots in a game this season with 40 against the Wildcats ... The shot numbers can be attributed to the Pioneers finishing 13-for-13 on clear attempts and committing the fewest amount of turnovers so far this season (11). 

Scouting Houghton: The Houghton College Highlanders currently sit at a record of 1-2 so far this season and have yet to play an away game ... The team is currently on a two game losing streak after its most recent 15-6 loss to Baldwin Wallace ... The Highlanders were led by Jennifer Zacchigna's four goals in the contest ... Chandler Jones registered a team-high four assists, while Marissa Hews and Meghan Oswald scored one goal each ... Zacchigna leads Houghton with 15 goals on the season and Jones owns a team-high 14 assists. 

Against Houghton: In the last matchup between these two teams, the Pioneers came away with a 15-4 victory on the road ... Recent graduate Courtney Wheeler (Ava, NY/Rome Free Academy) led UC with six points on four goals and two assists ... Rebecca Plunkett (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) added three goals and one assist of her own in last years contest ... The Pioneers will be looking for their fifth consecutive win over Houghton in Saturday's matchup. 

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on Tuesday as they host Morrisville State College. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.