Stevens and Naz Lock up Spot in E8 Tourney; Ithaca and Fisher Win Big
STEVENS v UTICA
The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse team locked up a spot in the 2013 Empire 8 Championship with an 18-4 win over Utica College Saturday at the De Baun Athletic Complex.
Stevens improves to 8-9 overall and 4-3 in the Empire 8 and will enter next weekend’s conference tourney as the fourth seed. The Ducks will battle top-seeded Ithaca College in the semifinals on Saturday, May 4 at 12 p.m.
Utica drops to 9-6 and 2-5 in the conference with the loss.
Stevens ended with a 33-18 edge in shots and put 29 on goal. The Ducks had a 27-20 edge in ground balls and won 12 of the 23 draw controls.
When the Ducks and Bombers met in Hoboken earlier this season, Ithaca left with a hard-fought 8-6 win in a tightly contested game.
NAZARETH v ELMIRA
Visiting Nazareth scored 10 goals in the second half to outscore Elmira 15-8 in a women's Empire 8 Conference lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. In a game in which the winner earned the conference tournament berth, seniors
Alyssa Johnston and
Megan Cregan combined for nine of the Golden Flyers' goals. Junior
Tara Prosak made 11 saves to earn the victory.
With the win, Nazareth improves to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in conference games. The Soaring Eagles fall to 8-8 overall and 3-4 in Empire 8 games with the loss. The Golden Flyers secured the third seed for the Empire 8 Tournament and will play second-seeded St. John Fisher. The Cardinals defeated Nazareth 12-8 in their April 13th contest.
Nazareth finished with advantages in draw controls (18-7), shots (35-22), and ground balls (28-21). Sullivan controlled five draw controls and Cregan collected four draw controls. Sullivan and senior
Kayleigh Pearsoneach had two forced turnovers. Prosak finished with five ground balls to lead all players. Wood and Pearson each collected four ground balls.
ST. JOHN FISHER v ALFRED
The St. John Fisher College women's lacrosse team closed out the 2013 regular season with a 20-2 win at Alfred University today. With the win, Fisher, currently ranked 20 nationally, improves to 13-3 overall. It is the most wins in the regular season in the program's 14-year history.
Fisher scored the game's first 12 goals, taking a 12-0 lead 20 minutes into the game and led 14-2 at the half.
ITHACA v HARTWICK
The 13th-ranked Ithaca College women's lacrosse team dominated visiting Hartwick 22-4 Saturday afternoon at Higgins Stadium. The Bombers conclude Empire 8 regular-season play with a flawless 7-0 record for the second straight season. Ithaca will host the Empire 8 Championship Tournament Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5.
The teams exchanged goals to open the game, but Ithaca netted the next seven for an 8-1 lead at 4:42. Hartwick scored a second and Ithaca closed the half with a pair for a 10-2 gap at intermission. The Bombers outscored the Hawks, 9-1, during the first 18 minutes of the second stint, before finalizing all scoring, 22-4.