Fisher, Ithaca, Nazareth and Utica Win E8 Contests
Utica College 16, Alfred University 9
The Utica College women’s lacrosse team is now one win shy of tying the school-record for wins in a single-season after defeating visiting Alfred University 16-9 in Empire 8 Conference action at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium Friday night.
The Pioneers (8-4, 2-3 Empire 8) netted four of the game’s final five goals to pull away from the Saxons (3-5, 1-5 Empire 8) in the final 8:25 of action.
UC outshot the visitors 41-19 on the day, while Alfred won the ground ball battle 22-21.
UC came out of the gates hot and took a 7-1 lead in the first 10:10 of the contest. Alfred was able to outscore UC 4-2 in the final 17:34 of the first half to cut its deficit to 9-5 at the intermission.
Alfred netted two free position goals early in the second half to help the Saxons pull to within three goals, 10-7, with 19:27 left in the contest. That was as close as the visitors would get as the Pioneers closed the door by scoring six of the game’s final eight goals.
St. John Fisher 17, Stevens 9
The St. John Fisher College secured its eighth season in program history with double digit wins with a 17-9 rout of host Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday afternoon in Hoboken, NJ. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 10-3 on the season and 4-1 in the Empire 8 Conference.
Stevens entered the game scoring in double digits in each of its last four contests, combining for 58 goals over that span. Fisher stopped the Ducks in their tracks, allowing just three goals in the entire first half and holding Stevens under double digits for the first time since the end of March. The Cardinals also held Stevens' leading scorer Kara Rafferty without a goal for 57:36 and was the first team in 2013 to stop Rafferty from a multiple-goal game.
Fisher outshot Stevens 29-20 on the afternoon, 27 of which were shots on-goal. The Cardinals had 21 ground balls to the Ducks' 13, and Fisher caused seven of Stevens' 14 turnovers.
Ithaca 18, Elmira 4
The 13th-ranked Ithaca College women's lacrosse team (9-4, 5-0 Empire 8) topped visiting Elmira (6-7, 2-3 Empire 8), 18-4, Friday afternoon at Higgins Stadium to clinch a spot in the Empire 8 Championship tournament.
Ithaca rattled off five straight in the first five minutes of play and went on to lead 11-2 at intermission. The Bombers outscored Elmira, 7-2, in the second stint.
Ithaca dominated the shot count, 44-11, held a 32-26 advantage in ground balls and won 14 draws to Elmira's nine.
Nazareth 17, Hartwick 4
Nazareth routed Hartwick 17-4 in a women's Empire 8 Conference lacrosse game on Friday afternoon. The Golden Flyers had nine players score to overwhelm the Hawks' defense. Senior
Alyssa Johnston amassed five goals in a span of 16:05 to outscore the entire Hartwick offense.
With the victory, Nazareth improves to 7-6 overall and 3-2 in conference contests. Following the loss, Hartwick falls to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in Empire 8 games.
Johnston wasted no time in igniting the Golden Flyers' attack as she tallied two goals in the opening 2:16. Nazareth scored the first seven goals of the game in only the first 8:15 to take a commanding lead.
Kia Ference, the Hawks' second leading scorer with 21 goals, put Hartwick on the board about 10 minutes into the game. Kate Purcell also added a first-half goal for Hartwick.
The Golden Flyers finished the opening stanza with three more goals to take a 10-2 lead at the break.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Nazareth netted two goals to take a 10-goal advantage.
Hartwick's Meg Luce trimmed the Golden Flyers' lead to nine goals as she scored an unassisted goal with 16:20 to play in regulation. Nazareth's offense answered with the next five goals to take a 14-goal lead, 17-3, with 3:10 remaining in the game.
Ally Naja converted a free position opportunity in the closing seconds to give the Hawks their fourth goal of the game.
As expected with the lopsided score, the Golden Flyers finished with an advantage in total shots (38-16), draw controls (17-6), and ground balls (19-17). Nazareth's defense also caused frustration for Hartwick with forcing 20 turnovers.
The Golden Flyers, winners of six of their last eight contests, travel to Stevens for another Empire 8 Conference game on Saturday. The teams enter the game tied for third in the Empire 8 standings. Both teams are one game ahead of Utica and Elmira, who both stand at 2-3 in conference games.