BUFFALO, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team defeated Buffalo State 17-6 on Wednesday evening.
 
Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (3g, 1a), Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (4g, 0a) and Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (3g, 1a) had four points each while combining for 12 shots on goal. The trio has combined for 27 of Utica's goals in four games on the season.  Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) and Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) posted two goals and one assist. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had seven draw controls while Carr had four. Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Daniela Muscari (Millbrook, NY/Millbrook) and Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) notched a goal apiece and Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel) had one assist.
 
Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) made four saves, three in the first half and one in the second. The team put an immense amount of pressure on the Bengals offense, not allowing quality scoring chances.
 
Utica outshot Buffalo State, 30 to 17 along with the Pioneers winning 15 draw controls.
 
Both teams combined for seven goals in the first quarter, five from Utica and two from Buffalo State. With 11:20 left to play in the first, the Bengals struck first as Sage Rabbit Running assisted Emilee Josker, giving Buffalo State a 1-0 lead. Drell notched Utica's first goal on a power play evening the game at 1-1 with 10:14 left to play. Utica scored five goals in the span of nine minutes as the team would head into the second quarter up 5-2.
 
The second quarter saw great ball movement from Utica as five different players scored a goal in the second. Gerling tallied her first goal of 2024 only 14 seconds into the quarter, extending Utica's lead to 6-2. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) scored an unassisted goal 35 seconds later at the 14:11 mark and only one minute later, Josker scored, cutting the lead to 7-3. Utica scored four consecutive goals following Josker's. The Pioneers went into halftime with a commanding 11-3 lead.
 
Utica's defense shut down the Buffalo State offense allowing no goals in the third quarter. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and DeCondo scored Utica's only goals in the third. The Pioneers would extend their lead to 14-3 heading into the fourth quarter as Buffalo State had no answers. 
 
Both teams scored three goals in the fourth quarter and combined for seven shots on goal. Utica would dominate the rest of the way as they would go on to win 17-6.
 
Utica (2-2, 0-0 Empire 8) travels to Bryn Mawr College on Saturday, March 9 for a noon start time.