UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's lacrosse team will look to bounce back as it hosts Alfred University for an Empire 8 Conference match up on Saturday.  Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers were defeated for the first time since March 6th as they dropped a 14-11 decision to Nazareth College last Saturday... Nazareth led just 6-5 at halftime and the score remained close for the majority of the second half, but a five-goal outburst by the Golden Flyers in the latter part of the second half led them to victory…Senior Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) led the Pioneers with four goals to go along with two of the team's three total assists. Freshman Addison Green (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) also contributed three goals, while classmate Jessie Biegel (Ridge, NY/Longwood) had two... Juniors Hailee DuMont (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) and Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) also scored for UC.
 
First Time for Everything: Last Saturday's loss to Nazareth marked the Pioneers' first home loss of the season as they were previously 4-0 on the turf of Gaetano Stadium. The loss to Nazareth also broke Utica's streak of seven consecutive home wins which dated back to last season.
 
20^th Anniversary Game: Saturday's game serves as the celebration of 20 years of Utica women's lacrosse… The Pioneers would like to welcome back to campus all of the alumni who had a hand in building the program and making it what it is today… Prior to Saturday's game, there will be an alumni game in the Todd and Jen Hutton Sports and Recreation Center as well as an alumni gathering during Utica's game against Alfred. 
 
Prominent Palmer:  Junior midfielder Kaitlynn Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) is in the midst of a 16-game scoring streak dating back to April 14 last year… Palmer leads the Pioneers with 21 goals this season and she is tied for second on the squad with 25 points. 
 
Supreme Scarpinella: Senior Katlyn Scarpinella (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) has had a stellar 2019 campaign as she ranks fourth in the Empire 8 with 35 points this season… Scarpinella is just one off the team-lead for goals, as she has found the back of the net 20 times this season… The midfielder ranks third on the team in draw controls (35), ground balls (31), and caused turnovers (17).
 
Super Scaccia: Freshman Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has had a magnificent first year as she leads the conference with 6.60 draw controls per game… She is currently fourth in the College's single-season record book with 66 draw controls this season and she needs just three more to move into third place all-time… Scaccia is fourth on the team with 24 points as she has netted 17 goals and added seven assists so far.
 
Saving The Day: Junior Hali Vandermeulen (Walden, NY/Valley Central) ranks tenth nationally with a .557 save percentage and her 7.53 goals against average is third in the E8… Vandermeulen has recorded at least 10 saves in a game five times this season. 
 
Scouting the Saxons: Alfred enters Saturday's game with a 1-6 overall record and a 0-2 mark in Empire 8 Conference play… Their scoring attack relies heavily on Madison Latranyi as she has accounted for 18 of the team's 34 total goals on the season. She ranks sixth in the conference averaging 2.57 goals per game on 5.29 shots per game, which is eight most on average in the conference.
 
Next Up: The Pioneers will hit the road on Wednesday to take on St. John Fisher College...  Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.