UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team gets set for its first-ever Empire 8 Championship game on Saturday, May 4 against the St. John Fisher University Cardinals. Game time is set for noon in Rochester, NY
 
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Last Time Out: The Pioneers topped the third-seeded Nazareth University Golden Flyers, 18-12, in the Empire 8 Semifinals from Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on May 1. The win also set a new single-season program record for victories with 14. Freshman Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) totaled five goals in what was her first career postseason game. She also registered an assist for a team-high six points. Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had three goals each while Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) added a pair. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) and Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) all had one. Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) stopped eight Nazareth shots en route to her first career playoff win in goal. The Pioneers edged the Golden Flyers in draw controls, 17-16, led by G. Stuhlman's six, as well as four from Pisano and three wins by Carr. DeCondo, M. Stuhlman and Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) were key parts of the Utica defense with seven combined caused turnovers. Utica came out on fire in the first quarter with six goals to Nazareth's two. M. Stuhlman and Carr scored quickly before Nazareth responded at the 8:08 mark. This led to four unanswered Pioneer goals, two of which by Pisano, to go into the second up by four. However, Nazareth responded with four straight goals of its own to open the second quarter, making it 6-5 with 8:44 to go in the half. The Pioneers dug their heels in defensively and didn't allow a single Golden Flyers goal from that point forward in the half. Meanwhile, DeCondo scored at the 6:45 mark before G. Stuhlman notched her first with 2:08 to play in the half. With the clock running down, M. Stuhlman sent Utica into halftime on a high note with a goal with two seconds to go in the half to make it 9-5. Nazareth came out of the break looking to chip away and did so with back-to-back goals to open the second half. Kolb got Utica on the board in the third with her first of the game at the 10:48 mark. The Golden Flyers scored once more in the quarter before the Pioneers closed it out with three straight to go ahead 13-8 entering the final 15 minutes. There, Utica tacked on five unanswered goals from the start of the fourth until 5:26 remaining. Carr, Pisano and Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) each had one over that stretch while M. Stuhlman netted two to build a comfortable 18-9 lead. The Golden Flyers trimmed their deficit with three straight of their own to close the gap to 18-12. However, the visitors ran out of time to send the Pioneers to the Empire 8 championship game on Saturday.
 
Ticket Information: Per Empire 8 playoff ticket policy:
 

• Adults - $6.00
• Students - $4.00
• Children under 12 are free.
• Fans can also purchase tickets through https://sjfcardinals.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/113.

 
70, Again? No Problem: For the second straight season, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has reached the 70-point mark. She remains one of three players in program history to reach 70 points and the first to do it in back-to-back seasons let alone twice in a career. She recently cracked the top four in program history with 195 draw controls, 50 away from the top mark (Casey Pelletier-245). Her 53 goals is fourth best in conference play and her 70 points ranks second behind St. John Fisher's Sydney Carpenter.
 
Speed Kills: Freshman phenom Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) tied her career-high six points (5g, 1a) in the semifinals against Nazareth, coming up clutch in the most crucial times. Her ability to get through opposing defenders has been a huge key to success for the Pioneer offense, which leads the conference with 261 goals and is tied for first with a 6.9 goal margin.
 
Pressure, Pressure, Pressure: Utica's defense and riding was suffocating in the semifinal game, forcing low-quality shots and agitated Nazareth shooters. The team combined for 12 caused turnovers, most of which came on the ride between the 30-yard lines. Seven players registered at least one caused turnover and four collected at least two with DeCondo causing three.
 
Purdy Simple: Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) has been a force for Utica, sporting a 8.67 goals-against average and a .458 save percentage. Her ability to get post-to-post and not allow rebounds in front of the net shows the confidence and composure she plays with.
 
Scouting Fisher: The top-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals enter Saturday's clash with a 10-7 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in league play. The team has won 11 Empire 8 championships in a row and 13 total as a program. The team is on a six-game winning streak, with their last loss coming against SUNY Geneseo (12-11) on April 9. Over the six-game span, Fisher's offense has looked unstoppable, outsourcing its opponents 110-19. In the E8 semifinal matchup against Hartwick, Fisher let up only two goals all of which came in the first quarter. The Cardinals scored 13 unanswered to close the game out, winning 19-2. Sydney Carpenter, Hanna Kumpf and Mary Fiorentino each had four goals while Fiorentino led the team with six points (4g, 2a). Goalie Maggie Cross made seven saves, six coming in the first half and only one in the second. Fisher won the ground ball battle 22 to 8 and draw controls 18 to 5. Carpenter leads the conference with 46 goals and 26 assists. She has at least four points in every game since March 29. Her 66 shots on goal are the best on the team along with her 100 draw controls. Kumpf is second in points with 31 goals and 15 assists followed by Fiorentino with a steady 22 goals and 21 assists. Defensively, Maddie Lowney leads with 36 caused turnovers and 55 ground balls. Last time against Utica on April 13, she recorded seven ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Between the pipes, Kaylee Gadol leads the Cardinals with a 6-7 record and a league-best 8.61 goals against average.
 
Up Next: The winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA DIII Tournament. The DIII selection show takes place Monday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. For more information please visit the following link.