The women's lacrosse team won its Senior Day game yesterday at Carp Wood Field, defeating Elmira 17–2 and extending its Empire 8 win streak to seven. The win, coupled with the Stevens  Institute of Technology one-goal win over Nazareth College, gave the Bombers the top seed in the conference and the right to host the conference playoffs in early May.

The Blue and Gold scored 12 goals in the first half, including five in the first eight minutes before allowing an offensive possession to the Soaring Eagles. Senior goalie Courtney Dowell did not allow a goal until halfway through the second period. She also led the team in ground balls with three.

Senior attack Kylie McClure had a hat trick and was honored in the pre-game ceremonies for scoring her 100th career goal in Friday’s game against Alfred. She said the opportunity to host the conference tournament was more important to the team than commemorating the class of 2010.

“Having the chance to be the No. 1 seed in the tournament was more important to me than the pre-game ceremonies, and the opportunity meant a lot to all of us seniors,” she said.

The South Hill squad continued its up-tempo style of play with hustle, aggression and quick passing in front of the net. The defense held Elmira to just 13 shots on goal.

Senior midfielder Lauren Fitzgerald said beating Elmira in transition was vital to the Bombers’ success.

“We were really working on our breakout midfield transitions to keep the ball out of our defensive end,” she said.

The Ithaca sideline cheered on its teammates after every play. Fitzgerald said that the positive energy allowed the team to remain dominant in the game for the entire 60 minutes.

“No matter who goes in, what position they’re in or what our game plan is, we’re always really supportive and energetic on the sidelines,” she said. “It helps whether we’re up by a lot or down by a lot.”

Freshman midfielder Michelle Avery said the support of the seniors throughout the season has carried the team to the top of the Empire 8. 

“[The freshmen] feel like [they] were just as good as them and it was anybody’s game,” she said.

The Empire 8 tournament will take place May 8 and 9 at Carp Wood Field, but the Bombers still have three regular season games remaining. Next up on the schedule is William Smith College, who Ithaca will face at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

McClure said facing a non-conference opponent will be good preparation for a challenging end to the regular season.

“It will be good for us to kind of get into a bigger game situation out of the Empire 8 and get ourselves mentally prepared for a different type of contest,” she said.