ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team fell in a nail biter to the second-seeded Nazareth College Golden Flyers in the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday. 
 
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) led the team with four goals while Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook) and Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) tallied two each. With her pair of goals, DeCondo became the fifth 50-goal scorer in a season in program history. Katie Crofoot (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) and Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) contributed a goal each. 
 
Defensively, Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) caused two turnovers while Devin Ryan (Orchard Park, NY/Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart), Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Ella Lindheimer (Stephentown, NY/Averill Park) each had one. In goal, Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) made six saves to go with three ground balls, tying Drell for a team high. 
 
For Nazareth, Emma States and Maggie Vay combined for eight of the team's 11 goals. Goalkeeper Allie Klestinec made six saves to go with a team best five ground balls. 
 
Utica outshot Nazareth 30-25 in the game however, the Golden Flyers held a 17-16 shot on goal advantage. Both teams made four free-position shots as well. The Pioneers dominated draws throughout the game winning 17 of 24 while Nazareth controlled ground balls 19-14 including a 4-1 edge in the fourth quarter. 
 
The Golden Flyers opened up red-hot with a three goal first quarter to lead 3-0 entering the second. The team eventually took a 4-0 lead with a goal just over three minutes into the second. Not long after, Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and Katie Crofoot (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) went back-to-back to get the Pioneers on the board and come within two. 
 
Nazareth went on to score twice more in the half while Pisano notched her second of the game as the game entered halftime with Utica trailing 6-3. 
 
Pisano carried her second quarter success into the third with goals at 12:01 and 9:44 remaining in the quarter to close the team's deficit to one. Nazareth would find the back of the net twice over the final seven minutes of the third, both by Vay, while Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook) tallied one for the Pioneers as the game entered the fourth with Utica behind 8-6. 
 
The Pioneers opened the final 15 minutes of play on a mission, scoring the first four goals of the quarter which ultimately gave the team its first lead of the game, as well as a two goal edge. Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) buried one with 13:09 to play and was followed by Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), who evened the game with 12:39 to go, Muscari, who put Utica ahead at the 11:15 mark, and DeCondo once again with 10:26 to play. 
 
Nazareth responded with 8:10 to go before notching the tying goal with 4:36 to play. Off a Utica turnover just under the four minute mark, Kate Metzler marched down the field and converted on what proved to be the game-winning goal with 3:17 in the quarter. 
 
With the win, Nazareth will await the winner of St. John Fisher University and Hartwick College to play for the Empire 8 title. 
 
Utica finishes its season with 10 wins, tied for the third most in a single-season in program history, as well as having qualified for its fifth consecutive Empire 8 Conference Tournament.