UTICA, NY- The Utica University women's lacrosse team will host the No.18 ranked SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Tuesday, March 28 at 4 p.m. before hosting the Nazareth College Golden Flyers at noon on Saturday for its first Empire 8 matchup of the season.
Follow Along: If you cannot make the game, live video and stats for both games can be found through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/
Last Time Out: The Utica University women's lacrosse team fell on the road to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 16-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led Utica with four points on four goals while
Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel) and
Mara Cunningham (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) had two points each coming from a goal and an assist. Four other Pioneers scored one goal in the game as well. In goal,
Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) made a career-high 17 saves in the losing effort. Cunningham put the Pioneers on the board first with a goal at the 10:26 mark in the first quarter before Stuhlman put Utica ahead 2-0 a few minutes later. However, RPI responded with a pair of goals with 4:25 and four seconds remaining in the first to even the score at 2-2 entering the second. Just 13 seconds into the first quarter,
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) scored off a feed from Cunningham which allowed Utica to reclaim the lead. RPI answered back 13 seconds later to tie the game at 3-3 before rattling off six more goals in a row to eventually claim a 9-3 advantage. Stuhlman scored again with 30 seconds left in the quarter as the Pioneers would trail 9-4 entering halftime. Looking to crawl back into the game, Stuhlman,
Belicia Biette (Troy, NY/Columbia) and Ackerman scored three in a row for Utica to bring the team within two goals midway through the third. From there, RPI outscored the Pioneers 6-1 over the final five minutes of the third for a 15-8 lead. The Engineers scored early in the fourth quarter while the Pioneers chalked up two goals of their own in the frame however, it proved to be too late as the team ran out of time to mount a comeback.
Dynamic Duo: Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and
Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) are continuing their hot start to the season. After her four goals against RPI on Saturday, Stuhlman is now up 17 goals and six assists on the season. DeCondo also has 17 goals this season and is up to 93 for her career. She is on pace for 100 career goals and would be just the 11th Pioneer in program history to accomplish this feat.
May I Assist You?: Belicia Biette (Troy, NY/Columbia) has recorded a point in the last three games as she continues a nice start to her first collegiate season. She leads all freshmen on the team with 11 points and is tied for first on the team with six helpers. Biette is tied with three other players on the team with 11 ground balls.
Not in My House: Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) is having a phenomenal season at goalie in her first season with the team. Her .586 save percentage is the best in the Empire 8 Conference, and has a 7.36 goals against average which ranks second. Against RPI she surrendered only one goal in the fourth quarter while recording 17 saves which is her most this season in a single game.
Reading the Red Dragons: Tuesday's matchup against SUNY Cortland is a make-up game which was originally scheduled for February 22 which would have been both teams' season-opener. Cortland is averaging nine goals per game and are 4-3 on the season. They are coming off a 10-8 win over SUNY Brockport. Toni Cashman leads the team with 10 goals and four assists. Hannah Keech, Lauren Hopsicker and Gabby Meager are all tied with 11 points. In net, Margaret Morgan has a 4-3 record with a .404 save percentage. Last time these teams met was in 2005.
About the Golden Flyers: Nazareth is 2-5, most recently falling to Oswego State 14-7. Emma States leads the team with 26 goals and six assists. She has recorded at least two points in all seven games this season. Maren Wallace has nine goals and two assists, Maggie Vay has eight goals and two assists. In net, Allie Klestinec and Tori Henchen split time in net. Klestinec posts a .427 save percentage and Henchen posts a .404 save percentage. Last time these teams faced each other, it was a 10-9 victory for the Golden Flyers in the 2022 Empire 8 semifinal.
Up Next: The team will host Plattsburgh State on Tuesday, April 4 at 4 p.m.
