UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team takes their four-game winning streak into Thursday's matchup against Oneonta State on March 21 at 4 p.m. Utica will then play SUNY Morrisville on Monday, March 25 at 4 p.m. This game was originally scheduled for March 20.  
 
Follow Along: Live video and live stats for both games can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University women's lacrosse team defeated The Plattsburgh State Cardinals 17-5 on Saturday, March 16. Utica jumped out to a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led all scorers with four goals, one assist and four shots on goal. Utica was led by Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (4g, 1a), Samantha Decondo (3g, 0a), Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (1g, 0a), Alyssa Pisano (1g, 1a), Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) (2g, 0a), Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) (2g, 0a), Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) (1g, 1a), Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel) (1g, 0a), Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook) (1g, 0a), Jessica Marciano (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) (1g, 0a) and Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (0g, 1a). Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) started in net securing her fourth win in a row while saving six shots. Utica struck early and often in the first quarter as they have done in the last three games played. The trio on attack for Utica has been nothing short of phenomenal to begin the 2024 season. It only took three minutes for Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Drell to connect, giving the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) notched another goal for Utica and 16 seconds later, Carr tallied Utica's third goal, extending the lead to 3-0 with 11:13 left to play in the first. With 9:17 in the quarter, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) picked up her third goal of the afternoon while also posting her fourth multi-goal game in four out of six games played. The team would score two more goals in the span of two minutes giving Utica a 6-0 advantage with 7:53 to play. With 2:07 left, Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) assisted Muscari, tallying her third goal of the season and extending the lead to 7-0. With time running out, DeCondo scored the team's eighth goal and would head into the second up 8-0. It only took Utica 53 seconds to score in the second quarter as Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) tallied an unassisted goal, extending the lead to 9-0. With 10:50 to play, Kowalski recorded her first career goal as a Pioneer, giving Utica a 10-0 lead. Plattsburgh would answer back with its first goal from Mckenzie Francis-Chubb cutting the lead to 10-1. DeCondo scored with 2:57 to play and Utica would head into halftime with an 11-1 advantage. Plattsburgh opened the scoring in the third quarter as they would trail 11-2 with 13:54 to play. Utica would close out the third quarter with five unanswered goals as the team would go into the fourth quarter up 16-2. The Cardinals would cut into Utica's lead early in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in the first five minutes of play. Utica would go on to defeat the Cardinals 17-5.
 
Countin' Em Up: Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has been dominating the past few weeks, collecting nine goals, two assists and 15 draw controls in three games. All four of her goals against Plattsburgh on March 16 came in the first 7:53 of play. Her ability to dodge and get above goal-line extended has caused opposing defenses to slide early which leaves the likes of DeCondo and Drell wide open on the back side for an easy dish and score.
 
Playing With a Purpose: Scoring early and often has not been a problem for Utica as they've outscored their opponents 18-0 in the first quarter over the last two games. The team has a 6.6 scoring margin, which marks first in the conference, keeping its opponents at bay and not letting any easy goals past Purdy.
 
Lock Down: The Pioneer defense has been a stifling core, holding its opponents to under 10 goals in three straight games and under six in two games. Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) has picked up where she left off in 2023 with her great on-ball defense and ground ball expertise. Her 18 ground balls are tied for third in conference play as a plethora of them have led to offensive transitions leading to fast-break goals for Utica. Freshman Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has been off to a hot start while also being a great asset in the middle of the field. Shes collected eight goals, six assists, nine ground balls and five caused turnovers. 
 
Scouting Morrisville: The SUNY Morrisville Mustangs are 1-4 overall with no game played yet in the NAC. The team's most recent game was against Castleton University on March 16. Morrisville defeated the Spartans 21-9. In 2024, the Mustangs are led by senior midfielder Alana McDonald's 13 goals, six assists and 23 shots on goal. Five of her goals came from a free-position opportunity while also grabbing nine draw controls. Senior Maddie Baum is second on Morrisville with 12 goals and three assists. Freshman midfielder Anyssia Ingersoll leads the Mustangs with 31 draw controls and 18 ground balls. Sophomore goaltender Rebecca Thomas has started all five games, posting a .336 save percentage.
 
Up Next: Utica hosts SUNY Canton on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m.