UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team takes its eight-game winning streak into a pair of road games this week, starting with its crosstown rivalry game at SUNY Poly at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The Pioneers will then travel to Nazareth University at 1 p.m. on Saturday for a game with Empire 8 postseason implications on the line.
 
Follow Along: SUNY Poly will provide live stats through https://wildcats.sunypoly.edu/sports/wlax/2023-24/boxscores/20240403_4oin.xml while Nazareth will have live video and stats at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers exploded for 21 goals in their 21-0 win over the Keuka College Wolves on Senior Day last Saturday afternoon. Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (2g, 3a) and Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (3g, 2a) led Utica with five points each. Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (1g, 3a), Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) (3g, 1a), Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) (3g, 0a), Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) (3g, 0a), Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) (0g, 2a), Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) (2g, 0a), Ruby Ackerman (Bethel, CT/Bethel) (2g, 0a), Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) (1g, 0a), Jessica Marciano (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) (1g, 0a), Abigail Gerling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (0g, 1a) and Belicia Biette (Troy, NY/Columbia) (0g, 1a) registered at least one point. Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) started in net for Utica, collecting her seventh win. Karen Troche (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) entered in the second half, making three saves. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had six draw controls followed by Alterti and Pisano collecting three each. Six different players notched at least one goal in the first quarter for Utica. This is the second time this season Utica has scored 10 goals in the first quarter. The Pioneers outshot the Wolves 11 to two in the first along with winning eight draw controls, compared to Keuka's three. Utica took a 10-0 lead into the second quarter. Utica scored five goals in the second quarter, two came on a power-play with both of those goals credited to Ackerman. The team held Keuka to zero shots on goal in the quarter and Utica would head into halftime with a 15-0 advantage. The Pioneers were relentless on the ride all day causing havoc in the middle of the field for Keuka. Utica scored six goals in the second half, and they would go on to win 21-0 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Stackin' Dubs: After the team's two victories over Canton and Keuka last week, the team is now on their largest winning streak in program history at eight games. The previous largest win stretch was six games which the team compiled in each of the past two seasons. Across this eight-game streak, Utica has been dominating the competition with a margin of victory of 11.8. The Pioneers lead all Empire 8 teams with 150 goals and a margin of victory of 9.4 on the season.
 
Seeing Double: The Stuhlman sisters have been absolutely fantastic thus far, combining for 75 points through 10 games. Leading the team with 44 points, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has picked up right where she left off last season where she led the team with 71. The junior's 35 goals are tied for first in the conference while her 4.4 points per game rank third. Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has made a huge impact as a freshman with 31 points thus far. She ranks third on the team with 18 goals and second with 13 assists. Her 31 points rank first in the conference amongst freshmen, and eighth overall.
 
With 25 We Thrive: Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) has been a steady contributor to the team's success, sitting fourth on the team with 22 points on the year. Drell has scored at least one goal in nine out of ten games and currently has an eight-game goal streak. The senior is closing in on her highest point total in a season as she needs three more to surpass the 24-point mark which she had in 2023.
 
Better Late Than Never: After missing the first four games of the season while finishing up her hockey season, Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) has been a key piece to the team's winning stretch in the six games she has played. She has notched points in five straight games for a total of 12 thus far while making one start against Canton.
 
Scouting Poly: The Suny Poly Wildcats are 3-4 thus far, most recently defeating Vermont State Lydon 18-2. They played two Empire 8 opponents early on, beating Keuka 11-8 and falling to Sage 18-11. Katie Kopcza is the stand-alone star of the offense. The sophomore has 48 points through seven games with 34 goals and 14 assists. In goal is sophomore Jayden Brown who has allowed 13.5 goals per game with a 44 percent save percentage.
 
About Nazareth: The Nazareth Golden Flyers will come into the matchup with a 4-6 slate and a 1-0 record in conference play after defeating Sage 17-7. An underwhelming record for the team is a result of playing strong competition early on as Nazareth will be a true test for Utica. Kate Metzler and Sophia Scialdone are pacing the Nazareth offense, with the former totaling 34 points and the latter with 32. Metzler has a team-high 26 goals while Scialdone has added 17. Scialdone has produced in all facets of the game as well, registering 25 ground balls, 32 draw controls and 12 caused turnovers. Allie Klestinac has been solid in net, allowing 12.8 goals per game with a .507 save percentage.
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will travel to Rochester, NY on Saturday, April 13 for a 1 p.m. contest against St. John Fisher University.