HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The 12^th-ranked Ithaca College women's lacrosse team remained unbeaten in Empire 8 play on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Houghton 17-4 at Burke Field in Houghton, N.Y. The win improves Ithaca's record to 12-3 on the year and 7-0 in E8 competition this season, ensuring Ithaca controls its own postseason fate heading into the regular season finale.
 
Next Saturday will bring a winner-take-all battle against Stevens, who will enter the contest sporting an identical 12-3 overall record and 7-0 undefeated mark in conference play. The Ducks beat Hartwick 18-3 on Saturday in Oneonta, N.Y., to keep pace with the Bombers at the top of the conference standings.
 
Leading the way for Ithaca against the Highlanders was sophomore Allie Panara, who continued her scorching hot finish to the regular season. She posted a game-high six points on three goals and three assists. The scoring effort brings her total to 26 points over her last four games, after scoring 29 through the first 11 contests of the season.
 
Seniors Morgan Racicot and Ally Runyon each finished with five points on the day. Racicot scored once and added four assists, in the process moving past Becky Guzzo '14 into fourth place on the program's all-time list with 73 career helpers. Runyon scored five goals, becoming the first player in Ithaca women's lacrosse history to reach the 200-career-goal milestone.
 
Seniors Morgan Cadwell and Olivia Oppenheim also finished with multi-point efforts on the afternoon. Cadwell scored one goal and chipped in one assist. Oppenheim scored twice, registering her third multi-goal outing of the season.
 
Senior Gaby Berne, sophomores Maeve Cambria and Elizabeth Rice, as well as freshmen Bailey Herr and Erika Fortune all finished with one goal for the Bombers. The 10 different goal scorers equaled a season high for IC this year.
 
Junior Kimberly Presuto picked up her 10^th win of the season. She finished with two saves and two goals allowed in one half of action. Senior Emily Ross made five saves in relief of Presuto during the second session.
 
Ithaca jumped out to an insurmountable lead in the opening 12:34 of game action, scoring 11 times to lock-in the running clock with 17:26 left in the first half. Runyon jump started the Ithaca attack, scoring a hat trick in the first 4:58 of the game to get the Bombers off and running. Her fifth goal of the game lifted IC to an 11-0 lead with 17:26 left.
 
Panara also scored a hat trick during the opening minutes, while Cadwell, Berne and Cambria also scored goals during the Bombers' initial scoring surge. Although Meghan Oswald and Jennifer Zacchigna broke the ice on the scoreboard for the Highlanders, those goals were sandwiching a pair of goals for the Bombers, as Racicot and Oppenheim found the back of the net for IC. Goals by Herr and Rice in the final 4:02 of the half helped IC take a 15-2 lead into halftime.
 
With the game well in-hand, Ithaca's main priority turned to running clock and maintaining possession during the second half. Oppenheim and Fortune scored for the Bombers during the final 30-minutes, while Marissa Hews tallied both Houghton goals in the second half.
 
Ithaca returns to action on Saturday, April 29, when it takes on Stevens in a battle of Empire 8 unbeaten teams. Opening draw at Higgins Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. The Bombers will honor the members of its graduating Class of 2017 in a pregame ceremony.