Box Score ROCHESTER, NY- The Utica University women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker in the Empire 8 Conference semifinal, losing to second-seeded Nazareth College 10-9 on Saturday afternoon.
 
This marks the second year in a row Naz erased a second half deficit to earn a one-point victory over the Pioneers in the semifinal.  The teams traded goals in the first quarter, making the score even at 4-4 after 15 minutes of play, but the Pioneers used a string of five straight goals to carry a 7-4 lead into halftime. 
 
Utica extended its lead to four at the 11:38 mark of the third quarter, but Naz netted three goals in a span of 1:48 to get back into the game.  The Pioneers held a 9-8 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Nazareth scored the only two goals of the quarter to turn the tides in its favor.  The Pioneers threatened over the final minutes of regulation but Utica was unable to net the equalizer.
 
Junior Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led the Utica attack with four goals on the day, while graduate student Ashley Guerra (Ionia, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima ) had three goals and one assist, all of which came in the first half.  Senior Emily Rossi (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) finished with one goal and two assists, while classmate Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) finished with one goal. 
 
Senior Claire Frier (Lafayette, NY/Lafayette) finished with seven saves, four of which came off free position shots.  Her counterpart, Katie Lawrence, made 10 saves for the Golden Flyers. 
 
The Pioneers, who were making their fourth straight conference tournament appearance, wrap up the season with an 11-5 overall record.  This marks the second-most wins in a single-season in program history.