UTICA, NY - Women's lacrosse used a strong first half to defeat Plattsburgh 18-9 at Gaetano Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) combined for 10 points and Utica's defense allowed only three goals in the second half, all coming in the fourth quarter.

Full Box Score (PDF)
 
Point producers: Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy HS / Belle Tire) (one goal and two assists), Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) (three goals), Jessica Marciano (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) (one goal and one assist), Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) (one goal and four draw controls), Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) (one goal and two draw controls), Nora Gross (Cortland, NY/Cortland HS) (one goal).
 
Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) played for 43 minutes, making two saves. Angelina Borowiec (Clinton, NY/Clinton) played 17:30 of the second half and made six saves, multiple coming on the doorstep.
 
Defensively, Ella Stanton (Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon), Elliana Lasher (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), Olivia Grant (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) and Lindsay Pilla (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) combined for five ground balls and five caused turnovers.
 
Gross, Best, Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) and Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) scored their first goals of the season. Best and Gross each scored their first collegiate goal and Kowalski notched her first collegiate hat trick. 
 
Utica scored five unanswered goals in the first 7:23 of the first quarter behind Maria (two), Grace (one), Marciano (one) and Kowalski's (one). Plattsburgh St responded with three consecutive goals as the first quarter finished with a 7-3 Pioneer lead.
 
Grace only needed 33 seconds to score the first goal of the second quarter, extending the lead to 8-3.
 
Both teams combined for nine goals in the quarter, six for Utica and three for Plattsburgh St. The Pioneers took a 13-6 advantage into halftime.
 
Utica scored six goals in the second half compared to Plattsburgh's, two, as Utica collected their second win of the season, 18-9.
 
Grace has 14 points and 21 draw controls in two games (12 goals and two assists). Maria has eight goals in two games along with six ground balls and five caused turnovers.
 
Utica (2-3, 0-0 Empire 8) travels to SUNY Morrisville on Tuesday, March 25. Start time is slated for 4 p.m.