UTICA, NY - The Utica University Women's lacrosse team brings its three-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup against SUNY Plattsburgh. Game time from Plattsburgh, NY is set for 1 p.m. on March 16.
 
Follow Along: Live video against Plattsburgh can be found here. Live stats can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: The team put on an offensive clinic against the Bryn Mawr College Owls, defeating them 21-9 on March 9. The team scored 10 goals in the first quarter which ultimately propelled them against the Owls. Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) led Utica with 12 points. DeCondo went off for three goals and five assists. She tied her season-high of eight points, where she last set that mark against SUNY Canton on April 26, 2023. Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) scored four goals, which ties her season-high against Houghton University on April 10, 2021. Jessica Marciano (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) and Courtney Fish (Albany, NY/Albany) each collected their first career hat trick as a Pioneer. Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) each had one goal and an assist. Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel), Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook), Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton), Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) and Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) scored one goal each. Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) started in net for Utica making two saves; Karen Troche (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) entered in the second quarter making one save. Utica struck first 11:21 into the first quarter as DeCondo found Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) on a beautiful feed, giving Utica an early 1-0 lead. Nealy a minute later, Drell capitalized on another DeCondo feed as Utica would jump out to a 2-0 lead. With 8:41 left, the Pioneer defense made a fantastic play as Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) cleared the ball; she found Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), who assisted DeCondo on the crease, extending the lead to 3-0. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) registered an unassisted goal only 27 seconds later giving Utica a 4-0 advantage. At the 4:55 mark, DeCondo once again found Drell notching Utica's fifth goal. Ackerman tallied her first goal of the season with 3:40 left to play off a free position shot, giving Utica a 6-0 advantage. The Pioneers would close out the first quarter with a commanding 10-0 lead. Margot Becker recorded Bryn Mawr's first goal 54 seconds into the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 10-1. With 10:45 left to play  Marciano notched her second goal of 2024 as Utica would go back up by 10 ten goals (11-1). Two minutes later, the Owls would score two unanswered goals from Camillie Franklin and Margot Becker (11-3). Marciano answered back soon after as Utica would lead 12-3. At the 5:10 mark, Alteri tallied her first goal of 2024 giving Utica a 13-3 advantage. The Pioneers would close out the second quarter with a goal as Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) assisted Kolb, sending Utica into halftime with a 14-4 lead. Utica scored six unanswered goals in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter as five players found the back of the net. Bryn Mawr notched two goals in the last four minutes from Franklin and Becker. Utica would lead heading into the fourth quarter, 20-6. Utica's Muscari scored the only goal for Utica in the fourth quarter with 4:44 left to play. Bryn Mawr scored three of their own. Utica would go on to win 21-9.
 
Player of the Week: Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) capped off her 12-point week by being named the Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Co-Player of the Week on Monday. DeCondo collected a hat trick in the last three games against SUNY Oswego, Buffalo State and Bryn Mawr College along with adding seven assists for 16 points. Five of her points against Bryn Mawr came in the first quarter where she scored two goals and dished out two assists. DeCondo is tied for first in the conference with eight assists and tied in fourth place with 4.25 points per game.
 
Purdy on Fire: Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) has looked great in her last two starts, both of which resulting in Utica victories. She's accumulated a 10.04 goals against average which is ranked in the top three in conference play.
 
Points Galore: The team has outscored its opponents 57 to 27 over the span of three games and has held its last two opponents to just 15 goals. Utica leads the league with 68 goals. So far, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), DeCondo and Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) have been responsible for 34 goals and 16 assists. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also ranks second in conference play with 29 draw controls.
 
Scouting Plattsburgh State: The Plattsburgh State Cardinals are 1-2 overall, with no games played yet in the SUNYAC. The team is coming off an 18-8 loss to Clarkson University on March 7. Plattsburgh's lone win in 2024 came against Russell Sage, defeating them 18-5 on February 27. In 2023, the Cardinals went 7-8 overall and 3-6 in league play. In three games played this season, the team is led by attackers Cynthia Barnosky and Fiona Fitzgerald. Barnosky has eight goals and six assists on the season. Nine of her points came against Russell Sage (4g, 4a) and four against Clarkson (3g, 1a). Fitzgerald has four goals and four assists with only four shots on goal. Plattsburgh's goalies are Jess Loch and Hannah Lowder. The team will play Norwich University on Wednesday, March 13 at 4 p.m. before hosting Utica on Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m.
 
Matchup History: Utica and Plattsburgh State squared off for the first time in 2023. The Cardinals defeated the Pioneers 13-12 in overtime. Utica had six different goal scorers with Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leading the way with five goals, six shots on goal and seven draw controls. Drell collected three goals and one assist while going two for three on free-position shots.
 
Up Next: Utica opens up its four-game homestand against SUNY Morrisville on Saturday, March 20 at 4 p.m. in their first home game since February 24.