UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team will head to Oneonta, NY on Wednesday, April 12 to take on Hartwick College at 4 p.m. The team will then return home to host Medaille University on Saturday, April 15 at noon which will also mark the second annual Mike Parnell Game. 
 
Follow Along: For those not able to attend Wednesday's game, Hartwick will provide a live stream of the game through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hartwick/ and live stats here: https://sidearmstats.com/hartwick/wlax/xlive.htm. Live stats and video for Saturday's game can be found here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. 
 
Last Time Out: The team fell 16-5 at home to No. 24 St. John Fisher University Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was firing on all cylinders recording two goals and one assist. Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also netted two goals for the Pioneers. In addition, Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook) recorded a goal, and Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) got an assist. In goal, Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) recorded a total of 10 saves. St. John Fisher netted eight goals in the first quarter while Utica managed to rifle off two shots. The Pioneers also went 2-for-2 on successful clear attempts, and Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) recorded five saves. In the second quarter, Utica and Fisher traded blows with one another, both scoring two apiece. Muscari scored first for Utica with eight minutes to go in the period, only to be answered five minutes later. Then again, a minute later the Pioneers scored on Gerling's first of the day before being answered by St. John Fisher just before the half. Continuing the action in the third quarter, Fisher and Utica matched shot-for-shot with Fisher scoring three and the Pioneers netting one. In the fourth, Fisher scored three goals in the later part of the quarter with the Pioneers answering two of them.
 
Parnell Game: On Saturday against Medaille University the Utica lacrosse family will celebrate the life of men's Head Coach Mike Parnell. Coach Parnell passed away unexpectedly on December 2, 2021 while his legacy and impact on the Utica lacrosse family and Utica University will always be remembered. This is the second year of honoring Coach Parnell and a tradition that began in the 2022 season, the same season in which his No. 6 jersey was retired. Parnell served as the Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Utica for 16 seasons following his playing career at Utica. 
 
Chasing History: Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) recently hit the 100 career goal milestone and she's not done yet. DeCondo ranks tenth all-time in program history and is just 12 goals away from climbing up to the seventh spot. On the season, she has 24 goals on 53 shots and ranks within the top-15 in the Empire 8 in points, shots per game and assists so far this season. 
 
Whitesboro Magic: Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is continuing her dominant year on the field. She has scored five goals in three different games this year, including twice in back-to-back games. She ranks top 7th in the Empire 8 with 31 goals and 3.27 goals per game. Stuhlman leads the team with 31 goals on the season. 
 
Groundhogs of Utica: The Pioneers have been great at scooping up ground balls this season. As a team, Utica has 253 ground balls, averaging 25.3 ground balls per game. 11 different players with at least 10 ground balls on the season. Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) leads the team with 25 ground balls, ranking 14th in the Empire Conference. Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel) and Katie Crofoot (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) are major contributors to the team's success with at least 20 ground balls on the season so far.  
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are 9-1 overall on the season and undefeated in conference play. They are coming off back-to-back 20-point games, however Utica won their last matchup against Hartwick 15-6. The Hawks are currently on a eight-game winning streak, only allowing 5.75 goals per game during the span. Kristen Vaccarell is the team's top performer, leading the unit in draw controls, points, and ground balls. She is leading the Hawks and the Empire 8 conference with 49 goals. Against Keuka College on April 8, she scored five goals and added an assist. At attack, Katrina Marten has been a major contributor to the Hawks success this season. Marten leads the team with 46 assists and .875 shot on goal percentage. Hartwick Hawks are ranked 29th in the nation in goals allowed per game, only allowing 7.50 goals per game. 
 
Scouting Medaille: The Mavericks are 7-3 on the season, coming off a 14-18 loss to Nazareth College. The Pioneers won their last matchup against Medaille 20-8. Cameron Briggs and Katelynn Deveans have been a driving force for the Mavericks this season. Both midfielders combined for 90 goals and 176 shots attempted total. Briggs collected 78 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers, which leads the team. Deveans leads the team with 66 draw controls and three game-winning goals. Against SUNY Canton on April 4, Cameron Briggs scored seven goals on nine shots attempted. As a team, Medaille leads the Empire 8 conference with 170 draw controls. 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will head to Albany, NY to take on Russell Sage College on Wednesday, April 19 at 4 p.m.