ROCHESTER, NY- The Utica College women's lacrosse team dropped a close one Saturday as it fell to Nazareth College 17-13 in Empire 8 Conference action.
 
The Pioneers (8-6, 4-3 Empire 8) hold strong in fourth place in the E8 standings and will look to lock up a conference tournament berth next weekend at Alfred University.  Utica will have a tune-up on Wednesday as it hosts non-conference foe, SUNY Canton in its home finale.  Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Nazareth took control early as the Golden Flyers jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 7:35 of play, but the Pioneers responded to score four of the next five goals to get back into the game.  The teams traded scores over the final 12 minutes of the first half and Utica went into halftime trailing 10-7.
 
Once again, Naz rattled off five straight goals to take a 15-7 lead with just 17:25 remaining.  But UC responded again, this time scoring five straight goals of its own over the next 10:18 to keep it a three-goal game.  Utica ran out of time in the waning minutes as Naz held on for the win.
 
 Stephanie Husnay (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) led Utica with three goals and one assist each, while Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody), Noelle Capriglione (New Milford, CT/New Milford), and Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) each had two goals.  Senior Brooke Miller (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) also got in on the action as she netted one goal and added one assist.  Husnay has now scored at least one point in 12 straight games, while Miller's scoring streak has stretched 11 games.
 
Palmer led all players with eight draw controls and she also caused one turnover and scooped up three ground balls.
 
Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) made 13 saves in the loss, while Naz's Mackenzie Corbett and Brianna Rizzari combined for seven saves.