UTICA, NY - Utica University's women's lacrosse team is set to continue Empire 8 play, facing two conference opponents over the coming week. The squad will begin the week by traveling to face #24-ranked St. John Fisher University on Wednesday, before hosting Keuka College on Saturday on the team's senior day. 

Follow Along: Those interested in following the game in Rochester can find the video stream HERE, with live stats available HERE. For the Keuka matchup, and all Utica women's lacrosse home games, the video stream can be found HERE, with live stats HERE.

Last Week's Recap: Utica put together a dominant midweek performance on the road, overwhelming Elmira in a 20-1 victory behind a fast start and balanced scoring attack. Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led the charge with five goals and two assists, while Nora Gross (Cortland, NY/Cortland HS) added four goals and an assist, and both Lucia Daubel (Walden, NY/Valley Central) and Jessica Marciano (Churchville, NY/Churchville Chili) recorded hat tricks. Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) contributed across the field with two goals, two assists, and a team-high seven ground balls, as the Pioneers controlled possession throughout with advantages in shots (31-4), ground balls (36-22), and draw controls (15-7). Utica set the tone early with a 10-goal first quarter and never looked back, with Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) turning away one shot on goal from live play and allowing the only goal as the result of a man-down free position shot attempt.

The Pioneers carried that momentum into Empire 8 play, rallying from an early deficit to secure a 13-7 win over Nazareth behind a dominant fourth quarter. Stuhlman once again powered the offense with eight points on four goals and four assists, while Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) added a hat trick and Alyssa Specchio (Chenango Forks, NY/Chenango Forks) chipped in two goals and an assist. After trailing 7-4 early in the third quarter, Utica closed the game on a 9-0 run, including a 6-0 fourth quarter in which Nazareth was held without a shot on goal. Purdy made five saves in the win, while the Pioneers forced 21 turnovers and controlled the final 15 minutes to open conference play with a statement victory. For her career-best efforts in both games, Stuhlman was named the Empire 8's Co-Offensive Player of the Week. 

Young Contributors: Over the offseason, Utica women's lacrosse welcomed in five new members: two sophomore attackers, two freshman midfielders, and a freshman goalie. Of the group, sophomore Lucia Daubel (Walden, NY/Valley Central) has chipped in the most offensive production, netting three goals and assisting another in four games played. The only other point scorer from the group is freshman Anna Nitti (Brewster, NY/Brewster), who has pocketed two goals in her five games played. While not yet finding her way to the scoring sheet, freshman Sydney Rochefort (Massena, NY/Massena Central) has been a strong presence in the midfield, starting five of seven games, collecting seven ground balls, seven draw controls, and two caused turnovers. Sophomore Kiley Kimpel (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus) has played two games, not yet recording an offensive or defensive stat, while goaltender Alannah Nole (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) awaits her first collegiate appearance. 

Cardinal Corner: In the first half of 2026, #24-ranked St. John Fisher has jumped out to a 5-3 overall record. The squad went 1-1 in February, falling 10-6 in the season opener at the University of Rochester, rebounding with an 18-7 home win over Clarkson. To begin March, the team went on the road to Colorado, playing in back-to-back 11-10 games, defeating Kenyon College, but falling to #24 Colorado College. Just before spring break, the Cardinals faced #9 William Smith College, falling 8-2 in a road game. The team has been heating up to close the month, defeating Cortland 11-4, then 11-6 over Skidmore College, and 26-3 over Russell Sage to open Empire 8 play in 2026.

The upperclass core of Dharma Makarowsky, Ellie Leisen, and Kaley Griffin has led the St. John Fisher offense, with Makarowsky netting 18 goals, while both Leisen and Griffin have each notched 14, the only others to reach double digits. Leisen leads the team with 10 assists, with only Makarowsky's eight reaching five or more. Senior Maddie Lowney has been a dominant presence in the defensive half, holding sizeable leads in both caused turnover (27) and ground ball (31) counts. Griffin and Lowney sit atop the draw control category, pulling in 33 and 28, respectively. Junior Maggie Cross has served as the primary Cardinal keeper, posting a 7.65 goals allowed average and a .458 save percentage through 455:03 of play.

Keys to Keuka: The Keuka College Wolves have begun their 2026 season with a 2-4 overall record. The team opened the season with a 16-2 victory over Hilbert, before falling 16-6 to Allegheny College and 15-5 to SUNY Morrisville in their next two contests. After a 12-4 victory over Elmira on March 13th, the squad returned from spring break to the same trend as before, falling 17-5 to Alfred State and 13-8 to SUNY Poly. Ahead of their matchup with the Pioneers on Saturday, the Wolves will also face Alfred University on Wednesday.

The Wolves' offense is powered by Lainie Forde, Liz Spin, and Brooklyn Ayers, with Forde leading the way with 22 goals while Spin has added 13 and Ayers contributes as the primary facilitator with a team-high 11 assists. Spin also ranks second on the team in assists with seven, as the only other player with more than four. Rylie Pratt has been a key all-around contributor, totaling seven goals and four assists while also leading the team with 21 ground balls. Spin and Pratt pace Keuka in the draw circle with 29 and 15 draw controls, respectively, while Pratt and Jessica Miller share the team lead with seven caused turnovers. In goal, Lauren Vitello has handled the majority of the workload, posting a 10.96 goals allowed average and a .475 save percentage through 345 minutes of action.

Up Next: After Keuka, the Pioneers will stay home to host SUNY Poly on Wednesday, April 8th. Opening draw is set for 4:00 pm in the team's Staff Appreciation Game. The following Saturday, April 11th, the squad will hit the road to face SUNY Brockport.