UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team will travel to Nazareth College to take on the second-seeded Golden Flyers in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday, May 3 at 4 p.m.
Follow Along: Those not able to attend on Wednesday can keep up with live video and/or stats through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/.
Last Time Out: The team defeated the Keuka College Wolves 20-7 in its regular season finale on Saturday afternoon. With five goals in the win,
Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) became the fourth player in program history to record a 50-goal season. Her five tallies came on seven total shots.
Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also totaled five goals in the game on eight shots.
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) were Utica's other multi-goal scores totaling two apiece. In goal,
Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) picked up her 10th win of the season while making seven saves. As a unit, Utica collected 16 more ground balls (24-8) than the Wolves did and went 13-for-15 on clears while Keuka went just 7-for-13. The Pioneers started with a bang in the first quarter, jumping out to an 8-1 lead over the first 15 minutes of action. However, it was the Wolves that struck first at the 11:56 mark before Utica rattled off 14 in a row to eventually lead 14-1 early in the 3rd. Over the scoring span, Stuhlman netted four of her five on the afternoon while
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro),
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and
Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) all had multiple goals. While Keuka continued to battle, its deficit was too much to overcome despite outsourcing Utica 4-3 in the third. The Pioneers tacked on four more goals in the fourth quarter to Keuka's two to pull away with the win.
Playoff History: Wednesday will mark Utica's fifth consecutive trip to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, as well as the program's sixth all-time appearance.
50 Piece: Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has etched her name in Utica women's lacrosse history as the fourth player in program history to score 50 goals in a single season and the first since 2012. She has scored 54 goals on the season and 29 of those have come in conference play. Stuhlman ranks fourth in the Empire 8 in points per game (4.38), goals (54), shots per game (6.38) and sits fifth in draw controls with 77. She has helped the team accumulate a .477 shot percentage ranking first in the conference and has 212 goals on the season which is third best in the Empire 8.
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) is four goals away from a 50-goal season which can come just two weeks after being the 11th player in program history to score 100 career goals.
Defensive Dominance: The defense has been the backbone of the team throughout the season and has caught fire as of late, letting up under ten goals in five straight games.
Breese Burlingame (Binghamton, NY/Northfield Mount Hermon) has started all 16 games for the team and sits a-top of the conference with a .537 save percentage while having the only shutout of the 2023 season coming against SUNY Poly on March 1. This past week, Burlingame earned her third Empire 8 Goalie of the Week honor after putting together a 2-0 week against SUNY Canton and Keuka College. Defender
Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) has also been a difference maker on the defensive end of the field. The junior has caused a team high 19 turnovers this season while her mark of 1.36 per game is ninth in the E8. Nine other Pioneers have caused five or more turnovers this season including nine each by
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and
Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook).
Round Three: This will be the third season in a row that Utica and Nazareth will meet in the Empire 8 Semifinals. In the 2021 season, Nazareth had the upper hand with a 9-8 win before once again squeaking out a one goal win last season, 10-9. In that game, the teams traded goals in the first quarter, making the score even at 4-4 after 15 minutes of play, but the Pioneers used a string of five straight goals to carry a 7-4 lead into halftime. Utica extended its lead to four at the 11:38 mark of the third quarter, but Naz netted three goals in a span of 1:48 to get back into the game. The Pioneers held a 9-8 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Nazareth scored the only two goals of the quarter to turn the tides in its favor. The Pioneers threatened over the final minutes of regulation, but Utica was unable to net the equalizer.
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led the Utica attack with four goals, while
Ashley Guerra had three goals and one assist, all of which came in the first half.
Emily Rossi (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) finished with one goal and two assists, while
Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) finished with one goal.
About Nazareth: The Nazareth Golden Flyers are 9-7 overall with a 6-1 Empire 8 record. The team is coming off a 19-12 victory against conference opponent, Russell Sage. Emma States led the team in points and draw controls. She recorded two goals, three assists and five draw controls. Annie Rubel scored three goals while Reva Mussi, Maggie Vay, Izzy Geesler, Makenna Misiurewicz and Julia Dietz each netted two each themselves. States leads the team with 48 goals and 18 assists. Katie Metzler sits second on the team and has 26 goals and 15 assists. Rubel leads the team with 42 draw controls on the season. Allie Klestinec and Tori Henchen have each spent quality time in-net this season. Klestinec has a 5-3 record and sits third in the Empire 8 with a .450 save percentage.
Up Next: The winner of this game will take on the winner of top-seeded St. John Fisher and fourth-seeded Hartwick College in the Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, May 6. Time and location are TBD.
