The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College women's lacrosse program dropped a 12-11 decision to host Ithaca College on Saturday in the final regular-season game for both teams. 

With the win, Ithaca, ranked 21^st in the latest national coaches poll, improves to 12-4 overall and 8-0 in the Empire 8, while the Cardinals, ranked 19^th, fall to 14-3, 6-2.

Ithaca earns the No. 1 seed for the Empire 8 Conference Championship next weekend and will host the four-team tournament.  Fisher is the No. 3 seed and will No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  The winner of the Fisher-Stevens game will play the winner of the Ithaca-Nazareth game at 12 p.m. on Sunday with the winner of that game earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Fisher has won the Empire 8 Conference Championship each of the last four years, all coming on the road.
 
Trailing 12-9 with less than 10 minutes to go, Fisher's Chrissy Cook scored her third goal of the game to pull Fisher within two.  Cori Holbrook, who finished with four goals, scored with 3:36 remaining to make it a one-goal game, but the Bombers won the ensuing draw and controlled possession for nearly the entire remainder of the game.
 
Fisher jumped to a 2-1 lead, but Ithaca rattled off four straight goals to take a 5-2 edge.  Fisher, however, answered with a 5-1 run over a 13-minute span to take a 7-6 lead.  Jamie Wallace started the spurt with back-to-back free position goals, while Jordan Johnson's goal with 5:06 left in the half put the Cardinals back up on top.

Ithaca scored with just over two minutes left in the half to tie the game at 7s and scored two goals in the first three minutes of the second half to take the lead for good.

For Fisher, Abbie Reed totaled seven draw controls, four ground balls and two caused turnovers.  Mary Grace Doyle, Natalie Gates and Holbrook also forced two turnovers.
Holbrook led Fisher with four goals, while Cook scored three.   Wallace tallied two goals, while Johnson and Mackenzie LeVan also scored.   Sierra Badger registered one assist.  Hayley Peets took the loss in goal, making three saves.