UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's lacrosse team will look to keep its storied start rolling when the Nazareth College Golden Flyers travel to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium this Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Complete Control: On Wednesday, the Pioneers cruised to a decisive 22-0 victory over The Sage Colleges which improved their record to 8-1... Utica scored 16 goals in the first half before adding six more in the second as 14 different players found the back of the net on the afternoon... As a team the Pioneers shot an impressive 71 percent on goal while limiting the Gators to just one shot on goal and three shots total during the course of the game... Their 22 goals scored also set a new high this season for all Empire 8 teams.
 
Two For the Records: Not only did their last game add to the best start in program history, it also lifted two members of the Pioneers to career milestones... Head coach Kristin St. Hilaire earned her 100th career victory in her twelfth season at the helm of the Pioneers... Along with Coach St. Hilaire earning her 100th career victory, senior Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) earned her 100th career point as she totaled four against the Gators.
 
All Hail Hali: Junior Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) has put together an impressive 2019 campaign... The four-time Empire 8 Goalie of the Week award recipient is in the midst of her best season as a Pioneer as she leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally with a .582 save percentage... Her 6.75 goals against average is also 10^th in the nation. 
 
Scrappy Scarpinella: Senior Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) leads the Pioneers with 29 points on the season… She is second on the squad in assists (13) and third in goals (16)… The senior captain also ranks second on the team with 31 draw controls, 15 caused turnovers, and 24 ground balls. 
 
Watch out for Wolff: Sophomore Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody) leads the team with 17 assists and she is second in the E8 with 1.89 assists per game… Wolff is second on the team with 25 points… She has also surpassed her assist total from last year (14) with seven games still remaining. 
 
Palmer Keeping Pace: Junior Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) leads Utica with 20 goals on the season and she is just one point behind Wolff to rank third on the Pioneers in scoring (24 points)… She is third on the team with 17 draw controls and fourth in caused turnovers (11)... Palmer currently has a 15-game scoring streak dating back to April 14 last season.
 
Scaccia Stands Out: Freshman Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads the conference with 6.44 draw controls per game… Her 58 draw controls this season rank sixth in the College's single-season record book… Scaccia is fourth on the team with 23 points and her 17 goals this season are second only to Palmer… She has a team-high 30 ground balls and she is one of only two players with two game winnings goals this season.
 
It Takes Everyone: This season Utica has relied on its depth and contributions from all 12 players on the field… 17 different Pioneers have scored at least one goal so far… Sophomore Stephanie Husnay (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) rounds out the top-five scorers as she has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists), while junior Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) leads the team with 16 caused turnovers… The Utica defense has been bolstered by seniors Caroline Wiley (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Jessica Steinhilber (Plainview, NY/Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK), junior Devon Burri (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes), and sophomore Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)… This quartet along with Vandermeulen in net has helped guide Utica to the 19^th ranked scoring defense in the country, allowing just 6.78 goals per game. 
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers enter Saturday's game with a 4-4 record (1-1) Empire 8… They were defeated by St. John Fisher on Wednesday 9-5, snapping the team's three-game winning streak... Goalie Brianna Rizzari is second in the conference behind Vandermeulen with a .573 save percentage while also ranking second in the conference with 11.75 saves per game... Naz's attack is led by Emma Robinson who is eighth in the conference averaging 2.38 goals per game.
 
Against the Golden Flyers:  Utica is 0-5 against Naz in the last five years… Last year, the Pioneers fell to the Golden Flyers 17-13… Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) and Stephanie Husnay (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) eahc had three goals and one assist, while Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody), Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS), and Noelle Capriglione (New Milford, CT/New Milford) each had two goals.
 
Up Next: Following their matchup against the Golden Flyers, the Pioneers will play in the UC Women's Lacrosse 20th Anniversary Game against the Alfred University Saxons next Saturday. Game time is set for 1 p.m.