UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's lacrosse team travels to Oneonta, NY on Wednesday for a huge Empire 8 Conference contest against Hartwick College.   Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers dropped a 16-4 decision to nationally ranked No. 13 St. John Fisher College last Wednesday... Freshman Addison Green (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) had two goals for Utica, while classmates Jessie Biegel (Ridge, NY/Longwood) and Emily Rossi (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) each had one... Goaltenders Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) and Claire Frier (Lafayette, NY/Lafayette) split time in the cage, combining for 12 saves in the losing effort.
 
A Look At The Standings: The Pioneers currently sit at 3-2 in the Empire 8 Conference, putting them in a three-way tie for third place with Nazareth and Hartwick... Nazareth has the tiebreaker over Utica via its 14-11 win over the Pioneers on March 30^th... A win over Hartwick would go a long way in securing a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament… The top four teams in the conference will qualify for the E8 tournament, which begins on May 4th.
 
Can't Stop Scarp: Senior Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) leads the team with 37 points on the year… She is second on the squad in both goals (21) and assists (16)…  Scarpinella is also second in draw controls (41), caused turnovers (18), and ground balls (33). 
 
Dishing It Out: Sophomore Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody) continues to lead Utica with 21 assists this season… Wolff ranks third in the E8 with 1.75 assists per game… She also has nine goals to her credit and is tied for second on the team with 30 points. 
 
Points for Palmer: Junior Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) leads UC with 23 goals this season… Palmer also has 23 ground balls and 20 draw controls to her credit… She has been held without a point just once this season and she is tied for the team-lead with two game-winning goals.

Sensational Scaccia: Freshman Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has been a stand out in her first season as a Pioneer… Scaccia is tied for second on the squad with 30 points and she is third in both goals (19) and assists (11)… She also leads the Empire 8 in draw controls per game with 6.17… She needs just three more draw controls to move into second place in Utica's single-season record books. 
 
Fire at Will: Utica has six players with at least 10 goals on the year… Freshman Jessie Biegel (Ridge, NY/Longwood) is fourth on the team with 17 goals, while Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) is right behind her with 16 goals… Freshman Addison Green (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) rounds out the top-six with ten goals to her credit. 
 
In the Cage: Junior Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) has been rock solid in net for Utica this season… Vandermeulen leads the E8 and ranks 10^th nationally with a .545 save percentage… She is also fourth in the conference with an 8.20 goals against average.
Scouting Hartwick: Hartwick comes into the contest with a 6-6 record overall and a 3-2 record in the Empire 8... The Hawks are coming off a loss to St. John Fisher on Saturday, falling 13-3... Hartwick is led by GinaMarie Wilson, who has 37 goals and 10 assists in 12 games played this season.
 
Against the Hawks: Utica is 11-7 all-time against Hartwick, but the Pioneers have had the upper hand recently, winning the last 11 contests against the Hawks… In their meeting last year, UC came away with a 12-8 win… Stephanie Husnay (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had four goals and three assists to lead the way… Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) and Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) each had two goals, while Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody) and Noelle Capriglione (New Milford, CT/New Milford) each had one… Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) finished with 10 saves in the win.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers return home for Senior Day at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on Saturday as they take on the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College… Game time scheduled for 1 p.m.