UTICA, NY - Utica University women's lacrosse plays their final two regular season games at Gaetano Stadium on Wednesday, April, 16 at 4 p.m. against Russell Sage and on Saturday, April, 19 against Alfred University. The Pioneers will host Senior Day prior to Saturday's game against Alfred.
 
Follow Along: The video link for both games can be found here. Live stats for both can be found here.
 
Last Time Out: Utica University women's lacrosse team fell to the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles in a conference matchup on April 12. The Pioneers had a strong start, scoring the first four goals of the game. However, the Golden Eagles fought back and took a 20-9 win as the game drew to a close. Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) scored five goals in the game, making up half of the total goals for the Pioneers. She also added an assist on the third goal of the game. Stuhlman managed to put a point on the board in all four periods. Thanks to this performance, the local star is now eight points away from 200 career points. Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield) achieved three goals in this faceoff with the first two being in the first period. She continued her great offensive play from the game earlier in the week against SUNY Poly where she scored four goals. The Senior forward has adapted well to the offensive flow after joining the team following the conclusion of her women's hockey season back in mid-March. Rounding out the goals was Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), who scored in the first period with a player-up advantage. This was not the only goal of its kind during the game, as Brockport had nine penalties resulting in four total player-up goals for the Pioneers. There were 16 total cards handed out in this conference clash. Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) helped out with two assists in this matchup. Alyssa Specchio (Chenango Forks, NY/Chenango Forks) and Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) also put points on the board with one assist each. The Utica Pioneers had a strong start with four consecutive goals in the first quarter to take an early lead. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the Golden Eagles were able to come back in full force with four unanswered goals of their own in the remainder of the first period. From that point on, the Pioneers could not keep up with the Golden Eagles who scored five goals in the second period while Utica only scored twice over that same span. After halftime the Golden Eagles kept up their momentum by scoring seven goals in the third period. In this same period the Pioneers only put up 2 goals against Brockport's goalie Arianna Reed. The orange and blue had some great chances in the third frame, seeing two Brockport players receive yellow cards, leading to the pair of Pioneer goals which brought the game to within five at 13-8. The Pioneers then looked for a late push, but could only come away with a single score during the fourth quarter. On the other side, Brockport netted four more goals to make the final score 20-9.
 
Senior Day: Utica will honor its six seniors, Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton), Samantha Schilling, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Ella Jentsch (Rosendale, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes), Karen Troche (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) and Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Westfield). The group has compiled over 40 wins in the last three and half seasons. Last season, the team went to the Empire 8 Championship for the first time in program history.
 
 
200 Points: Grace is two points away from 200 all-time. In 56 games career games, she has 146 goals and 52 assists. This season, Grace has totaled 34 goals and 12 assists. In conference play this season, she has 17 points off 12 goals and four helpers. Against Brockport, she scored all of Utica's goals in the second half.
 
Heating Up: Kowalski has posted 11 points in the last three games against Keuka (one goal and two assists), Poly (four goals) and Brockport (three goals). All four of her goals against Poly came in the first quarter and against Brockport, she tallied two goals in the first quarter and one in the second. Her 11 points in three games is the second most in three games on Utica behind Grace's 12. Specchio leads all newcomers on Utica with 10 points in her last three games played (seven goals and three assists).
 
Scooin Em Up: Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads Utica with 30 groundballs and 13 caused turnovers. She has nine groundballs in three straight games along with five caused turnovers. Stuhlman has also made an impact at the draw circle, totaling 34, which is second on Utica behind Grace (71). Maria ranks ninth in conference play with groundballs (30) and 11th in draw controls (34). The addition of Elliana Lasher (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) has made an impact on the Pioneer defense as she's totaled 11 groundballs and six caused turnovers in eight games.
 
About Sage: The Gators enter Wednesday's game with a 2-8 overall record (1-4 Empire 8). The team's last win came against Keuka, 17-7 on April 11. Their only other win came against VTSU Lyndon, 17-3. Alexis Crossman leads the way for Sage with 25 points off 20 goals and five assists. She scored four goals on seven shots on goal against Keuka. Crossman also leads Sage with 44 draw controls. Maddison Walter is second on the Gators, posting 17 points off 14 goals and three assists. In goal, Summer Atchley and Olivia Brand have split time, each recording at least six games played. In eight games, Atchley sports a 13.54 goals-against average and a .319 save percentage. In six games, Brand has a 15.68 goals against average and a .250 save percentage.
 
About Alfred: The Saxons are 5-7 overall (2-3 Empire 8). Alfred plays Nazareth on Wednesday before matching up with Utica on Saturday. Amelia Booth has 43 goals and 13 assists, which is top five in league play. Her 43 goals are second in the E8 behind Kristin Vaccarelli of Hartiwck with 50. Booth also has 74 draw controls, which is three more than Grace's 71. Kylee Bedette is second on the Saxons with 16 goals and 12 assists. Molly Howlett is the starting goalkeeper, sporting a 12.78 goals-against average and a .366 save percentage.
 
Looking Forward: Utica travels to Hartwick College on Wednesday, April 23 at 4 p.m.