HOUGHTON, NY- The Utica College women's lacrosse team clinched the number two seed in the Empire 8 Conference tournament as it downed host Houghton College 16-6 in E8 action Saturday afternoon.  The Pioneers will take on third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the E8 semifinals next Saturday at St. John Fisher College.
 
It was another record breaking day for the Pioneers, as they extended their single-season record for wins (13). UC also set a new program record for conference wins in a season (six). Utica finished the regular season with a 13-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Empire 8.
 
Additionally, junior goalie Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central), who already holds the school record for wins in a season (12), moves past Pioneer Hall of Famer Shelby Barbay '12 for sole possession of first place on the College's career wins list.  Vandermeulen now has 27 victories under her belt in three seasons as a Pioneer.
 
Junior Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) exploded for a career-high seven goals in the win.  Palmer now has a team-best 39 goals this season, marking the most goals by a Pioneer in a single season since Rebecca Plunkett notched 40 goals in 2016. 
 
Palmer netted her first of the day just 49 seconds into the game and the Pioneers tacked on 10 more scores to take a commanding 11-1 lead into halftime.  Houghton was able to score five goals in the second half, but it was too little, too late as UC cruised to the victory. 
 
Sophomore Lauren Wolff (Peabody, MA/Peabody) finished with six points on the day on two goals and four assists.  Freshman Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also dished out four assists, while sophomore Stephanie Husnay (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) chipped in with two goals and three assists.  Freshman Kristin Krieg (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) also netted two goals, while Addison Green (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Brittany Nowak (Eden, NY/Eden), and Emily Rossi (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) each contributed one goal.
 
Vandermeulen made five saves in 30 minutes of work, while freshman Claire Frier (Lafayette, NY/Lafayette) had two saves.  Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) led the Pioneers with three caused turnovers and six ground balls in the win.