UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's lacrosse team opened its postseason with a statement, powering past #5 seed Hartwick College 18-9 in the First Round of Empire 8 Tournament Play. The Pioneers hosted the contest as the #4 seed, improving the program's record in home postseason games to 3-0. Utica will now line up a semifinal round matchup with #1 seed St. John Fisher University on Thursday.
Seven Pioneers found the back of the net, but the trio of
Alyssa Specchio (Chenango Forks, NY/Chenango Forks),
Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), and
Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) chipped in heavily, accounting for 13 of the team's 18 goals. Specchio, a sophomore, led the team with eight total points, doing so by leading the team with both five goals and three assists. Kolb and Alteri both netted four goals, with Kolb also adding one assist.
Jessica Marciano (Churchville, NY/Churchville Chili) was the final multigoal scorer, earning two and one helper.
Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (1g, 2a),
Belicia Biette (Troy, NY/Columbia) (1g, 1a), and
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) (1g) rounded out Utica's goal scoring. Alteri, Stuhlman, and
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) each chipped in two caused turnovers, while Stuhlman held the team lead in both ground balls (four) and draw controls (8). Junior
Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) made eight saves in net, completing the game by earning the 29th win of her career, a new program record.
After Hartwick tallied a goal in the mid-second quarter to even the score at 6-6, Utica dominated the final minutes, outscoring the visitors 12-3, including 12 of the game's next 13 goals. The Pioneers finished with a 27-21 edge in shots and a 25-17 margin in shots on goal, converting 6-of-8 free-position opportunities on the night. Utica also held statistical edges of 18-14 in ground balls and 16-13 draw controls.
Hartwick was led by Parker Laurin's six goals and one assist, while Adelyn Esce added two goals and Lily Dempsey contributed a goal and an assist. The Hawks also had three players with two caused turnovers, and were led by Ava Reynolds' four ground balls. Midfielder Jammie Decker led Hartwick with nine of the team's 13 draw controls. Between the pipes, Brooke Lynett made seven saves.
Utica traded early blows with Hartwick in the first quarter before using a late surge to take control. After Hartwick answered Specchio's opener at 10:43 to make it 1-1, Utica closed the frame on a 3-1 run behind goals from Alteri at 5:44, Biette at 5:10, and Specchio's free-position finish at 3:54 to build a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes.
The second quarter turned into a game of runs as Hartwick battled back into contention. Utica stretched its edge to 6-2 on back-to-back goals from Marciano (woman-up) and Specchio (free-position) in the opening minutes, only for the Hawks to respond with four straight tallies within a five-minute span to even the score at 6-6 with 6:20 left in the frame. Alteri's woman-up, free-position strike at 2:20 and a late Specchio goal steadied the Pioneers and sent the orange and blue into the half with an 8-6 advantage.
Coming out of the break, Utica delivered the decisive push of the night with a dominant third quarter. Specchio opened the second-half scoring at 11:28 before Alteri and Kolb joined in over the next two minutes to cap a three-goal burst that pushed the margin to 11-6. After Hartwick briefly halted the run with a woman-up goal by Laurin, Kolb struck back with a tally with just over five minutes left. Stuhlman and Alteri followed in the final minutes, both in special situations, as the Pioneers outscored the Hawks 6-1 in the frame to carry a commanding 14-7 lead into the fourth.
The Pioneers kept their foot on the gas in the final quarter to close out the win. Kolb struck twice more, Marciano added her second of the night at 9:26, and
Alanna Fragapane (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) converted off a Marciano feed at 7:24 as Utica pushed the cushion to 18-7. Hartwick tacked on a pair of late goals, but the Pioneers comfortably closed the game with an 18-9 victory.
Utica, now 11-6 overall, advances to the Empire 8 Semifinals later this week. The Pioneers will hit the road to face the tournament's top seed, St. John Fisher University, with the opening draw set at 7:00 pm at Growney Stadium.
