UTICA, NY - Utica University's women's lacrosse team is set to continue its early run in the 2026 Empire 8 conference schedule, hosting SUNY Poly on Wednesday before challenging SUNY Brockport on the road on Saturday. Opening draw in the matchup with SUNY Poly is set for 4:00 pm at Gaetano Stadium.

Follow Along: The video stream for all Utica home games can be found HERE, with live stats available HERE. For the matchup at Brockport, the video stream will be available HERE, with live stats found HERE.

Last Week's Recap: Utica split a pair of Empire 8 contests last week, falling on the road at #24 St. John Fisher before responding with a dominant Senior Day victory at home. The Pioneers opened the week with a 16-4 setback in Rochester, striking early as Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Alexis Alteri (Clinton, NY/Clinton) each found the back of the net to help produce a 2-2 tie after one quarter. Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) later evened the score at 3-3 in the second, but a late first-half surge by the Cardinals, followed by a seven-goal third quarter, created separation, as Utica was held to just five shots in the contest. Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) added the team's final goal, while Vanessa Leon (Riverhead, NY/Riverhead) led the defensive effort with three caused turnovers, and Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) made eight saves in net.

The Pioneers answered emphatically on Saturday, rolling to a 20-2 win over Keuka behind a complete team performance. Jessica Marciano (Churchville, NY/Churchville Chili) and Alyssa Specchio (Chenango Forks, NY/Chenango Forks) powered the offense, combining to factor into 12 of Utica's 20 goals, with Specchio dishing out seven assists and Marciano netting four goals. Utica erupted for eight first-quarter goals and never looked back, outshooting the Wolves 37-4 while controlling possession with an 18-6 advantage in draw controls. Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug), Kolb, and Belicia Biette (Troy, NY/Columbia) each added hat tricks, while Stuhlman contributed two goals and a team-high seven draw controls. Defensively, Alteri led the way with five ground balls and three caused turnovers, and Purdy secured the win with one save before Alannah Nole (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) closed out the final minutes.

Early E8 Outlook: Three games in to the 2026 Empire 8 conference schedule, the Pioneers currently sit in a three-way tie for third place. Just St. John Fisher and SUNY Geneseo have jumped out to a 3-0 record, while Utica, Alfred, and Brockport have all gone 2-1. The orange and blue will look to retain a similar ranking as the season continues, as six of 10 teams will make the conference postseason tournament.

SUNY Poly Preview: The SUNY Poly Wildcats have posted a 2-7 overall record in 2026, with a 1-2 conference record. After dropping each of the first five games, Poly defeated Hilbert College 17-4 and Keuka 13-8 in back-to-back games to end March with its first wins. In the two games since, on April 1st at Nazareth and on April 4th at home against Brockport, the Wildcats have fallen by scores of 19-2 and 21-2. Through nine games, Poly has been outscored 120-57.

The Wildcat offense has been led by two primary players, Madyn LaFleur and Brinley Ronan. Of the squad's 81 total points (goals and assists), the two players combined for 41 of them. Ronan has tallied 17 of them, all via goals, while LaFleur has a balanced stat line of 13 goals and 11 assists. Only Katelynn Truax (seven) and Alexa Ulanday (six) have found the back of the net more than five times. In the assist column, Andi Walters is the only other Wildcat to achieve a third assist. Ronan and Truax have been valuable defensive assets as well, tying with 23 ground balls, the most of any field player, while achieving 16 and 13 caused turnovers, respectively, the only players with more than six. Goalie Rebecca Thomas has played all 540:00 in net, posting a 13.33 goals allowed average and a .423 save percentage, while also leading the team with 25 ground balls.

Breaking Down Brockport: The SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles have jumped out to a 6-4 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Empire 8. The first four games were Brockport's greatest test so far, forcing the team to start 1-3. The team took losses to Ithaca College, RIT, and Clarkson in a challenging stretch of games, with a 9-8 win over the University of Rochester in the middle. After the slow start, Brockport responded with a stretch of close wins, beginning with one-goal wins over Union College and Oneonta, a two-goal win over Oswego State, and wrapping with a 13-4 win over Hartwick. On April 1st, SUNY Geneseo broke the win streak with a 14-7 win before the Golden Eagles defeated SUNY Poly 21-2 in their most recent matchup. Additionally, the team will face Alfred University on Wednesday.

The duo of Hailey Lewkovich and Karaline McCarthy has led the Brockport attacking core, accounting for 36 and 31 points, respectively. Lewkovich has netted 31 goals and assisted five to reach her total, while McCarthy has found the back of the net 19 times and added a team-leading 12 helpers. Junior Tristan Davis is the only other Golden Eagle to reach 10 goals, also adding the second most assist on the team (seven). Freshman defender Caitlin Mulvihill has led the team with 13 caused turnovers, while McCarthy has pulled in 22 ground balls and 45 draw controls, both team bests. 

Up Next: The Pioneers will play in three games next week, beginning with a home matchup against the University of Rochester on Tuesday, April 14th. The squad will continue the week with road games at Russell Sage and Alfred University.