UTICA, NY - The Empire 8 has announced its athletes of the week, with Utica women's lacrosse goaltender Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) being named among honorees. The junior was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week following a strong outing in the team's previous outing. Utica women's lacrosse will now look ahead to a March 14th matchup at Oswego State.

Purdy and the Pioneers played in just one game last week, travelling to face Buffalo State. The junior netminder backstopped the team to a competitive 10-9 victory, the team's second-straight. She made 11 saves on 20 shots between the pipes, even adding a second-quarter assist, the first of her career. Through 180:00 of gameplay in the 2026 season, Purdy has played to a 10.00 goals allowed average and a .492 save percentage.

The Pioneers will close a three-game road stretch in their upcoming game, a March 14th contest at Oswego State. Opening draw is set for 12:00 pm at Oswego's Laker Turf Stadium. The orange and blue return to Gaetano Stadium on Tuesday, March 17th, when the University of Rochester comes to Utica for a 4:00 pm-scheduled matchup.