UTICA, NY - The Utica women's lacrosse team revs up for two conference matchups against SUNY Poly on Wednesday, April 9 (5pm) and SUNY Brockport on Saturday, April 12 (1pm). The game on Saturday will be played at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium while Wednesday's matchup will be across the Arterial at SUNY Poly.
 
Follow Along: SUNY Poly live video and stats. SUNY Brockport live video and stats.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers defeated Keuka in Empire 8 action this past Saturday by a 16-3 final. Leading the way for the Pioneers was a trio of players that finished with multi-goal outings in Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) with five goals, Alyssa Specchio with three, and Bella Kolb with two. Stuhlman added an assist to her stat line in the afternoon as well as causing three turnovers and collecting four ground balls. Six Pioneers finished with one goal each in Abby Cangemi, Meghan Brennan, Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Ella Jentsch, Jordan Kowalski, and Kendall Best. Grace, Kowalski, Best, and Belicia Biette each added an assist to their stat lines. Elliana Lasher put together a great defensive outing with three caused turnovers and collecting four ground balls. Makayla Purdy got the starting nod in goal, making two saves in the first half, with Angelina Borowiec taking over in the second half and making six saves.
 
Winning Recipe - The Stuhlman Sisters: Senior Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Sophomore Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) are powerhouse sisters from the Utica area. If you know about Utica women's lacrosse you've definitely heard these names before. This season Grace has scored 27 goals but her younger sister is close behind with 24 goals. These two have scored 51 out of the team's 104 goals meaning nearly 50% of these goals were by the Stuhlman sisters. They also are responsible for 15 out of 39 assists on the field which is no small feat. Maria leads the team in ground balls with a total of 25 in nine games. Overall, the Stuhlman sisters are incredible assets to the team that are irreplaceable in both their play and their leadership.
 
Pressure with Possession: These sisters do not shy away from getting the ball in their possession as they've consistently taken control of the ball, all thanks to their dominance on the draw. Grace leads the Empire 8 in draw controls per game by a landslide. She has an average of 7.7 per game while the runner up only has a 6.20 average. With 69 draw controls this season, Grace is number 15 in the nation to make her Pioneer family proud. Grace is also ranked eighth in the conference for shots per game (she currently has taken 50) and 19th for assists per game (nine assists total). Maria is no stranger to the leaderboard either. Currently she is number 15 in the league for draw controls and number 11 for groundballs. The sisters are ranked fifth and 13th respectively for goals per game and also, 10th and 20th for points per game in the conference. 
 
The Pioneer Saint: Head Coach Kristin St. Hilaire is making her last charge through the Empire 8 this season. Currently working as the Utica University Interim Athletic Director while also juggling full-time coaching responsibilities, she has made an unforgettable impact not only in athletics but across the entire institution. St. Hilaire has many impressive accomplishments throughout her time as head coach of women's lacrosse. She has been made the program's all-time winningest coach going into her 18th and final season. She led the Pioneers through a remarkable season last year with a 14-4 record, the winningest in program history. Making even more history, Hilaire led her team to their first ever Empire 8 Conference Championship after creating an amazing streak of making it into the conference tournament six years in a row. She has produced remarkable athletes on and off the field with 8 of her athletes named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll last season. Her athletes have received numerous awards and it reflects her dedication and commitment to producing admirable players. The success of this program is largely in part due to her passion for the sport and she is a staple of the Utica Pioneers.
 
About SUNY Poly: The SUNY Poly Wildcats enter this Wednesday's conference matchup with a 1-7 overall record and a 0-3 Empire 8 record. Their only win so far this season was against Hilbert College where they put up 15 goals to Hilbert's one. The team has been outscored by the rest of their opponents by at least nine goals in every matchup. The Wildcats are led by Brinley Ronan and Callie Johnson who have both scored 11 goals each which consists of the team's 48 goals so far this season. Leading the team in assists and ground balls is also Brinley Ronan with five assists and 19 ground balls so far this season.  Katelyn Truax is also a notable player for SUNY Poly, leading the team with 35 caused turnovers and also collecting seven goals and four assists. SUNY Poly is tied for the bottom slot in the Empire 8 with Russell Sage after having a difficult season so far. Last season the Wildcats fell 21-5 against the Pioneers on their home turf. Multiple players on each team are from local high schools such as New Hartford, Whitesboro, Clinton and Rome. 
 
About SUNY Brockport: The SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles are currently ranked 5th in the Empire 8 with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-1 conference record. Their two conference wins so far this season have been against Hartwick College (17-5)  and SUNY Poly (18-1). The biggest win so far this season, goal wise, has been against SUNY Poly with a 17 point lead but their most challenging victory was against Buffalo State where they won 13-11. Leading the team in goals and assists is star player Senior Alayna Foos with 25 of the team's 98 goals and 13 of the team's 39 assists so far this season. Foos is a critical player on Brockport's roster since she also leads the team in just about every category. This includes shots, shots on goal, free position goals/shots, and turnovers. Ground balls are led by Senior Paige Thowe with 20 of the season's 130.
 
Looking Ahead: The Utica Pioneers will host Russell Sage on Wednesday April 16, 2025. The game will start at 4pm. Senior Day for the Pioneers will be hosting Alfred University on April 19, 2025 at 1pm.