Women's Lacrosse | 4/26/2021 4:15:00 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher College is looking to win its ninth straight league title, as six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which takes place from Tuesday, April 27 to Sunday, May 2, with all matches played at the higher seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins May 8.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Seeds
#1 – St. John Fisher (7-0 E8, 12-1 Overall)
#2 – Nazareth (5-1 E8, 6-5 Overall)
#3 – Utica (4-2 E8, 8-5 Overall)
#4 – Hartwick (2-3 E8, 2-3 Overall)
#5 – Russell Sage (2-5 E8, 3-5 Overall)
#6 – Keuka (1-4 E8, 1-4 Overall)
The 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 27 – First Round
#6 Keuka College at #3 Utica College – 7 p.m.
#5 Russell Sage College at #4 Hartwick College – 5 p.m.
Friday, April 30 - Semifinals
Winner of #4 Hartwick/#5 Russell Sage at #1 St. John Fisher College – 4 p.m.
Winner of #3 Utica/#6 Keuka at #2 Nazareth College –
4 p.m.
Sunday, May 2 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the 2021 Championship with a perfect 7-0 record in league play and is 12-1 overall, ranked No. 11 in the current IWLCA Division III national poll. The Cardinals are out-scoring its opponents 195-53 this season. The Cardinals are looking for their ninth straight league title and 11th overall in program history. Five different players have at least 20 goals for the Cardinals and four have at least 35 points. Sydney DeGirolamo leads the Cardinals and is among the league leaders with 46 points on 20 goals and 26 assists. She also has 97 draw controls. Brittany Halpin is right behind with 43 points on 28 goals and 15 assists, while Alyssa Sproule has a team-best 35 goals. Logan Chase has 26 goals, 35 points, 39 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers. In net, Claudia Mocciaro has a 4.37 goals against average and a .482 save in 2021.
No. 2 seed Nazareth finished 5-1 in league play and is 6-5 overall. The Golden Flyers have out-scored their opponents, 145-87 in 2021. Emma States lead the team is among the league leaders in scoring with 33 goals and 44 points in 11 games played. She also has 24 draw controls. Emma Robinson has 23 goals and 11 assists, while Callahan Lyon has 13 goals and 21 assists (second among all E8 players). Vicki Arena has 45 draw controls to lead Nazareth. Katie Lawrence has played in all games for the Golden Flyers in goal and has an 8.63 goals against average and a .448 save percentage. Nazareth is looking for its fifth E8 title and first since 2006.
Utica is the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament and is looking for its first-ever E8 postseason victory. The Pioneers are 8-5 overall in 2021 and 4-2 in E8 play, having out-scored their opponents, 198-110. Lexi Scaccia leads all-Empire 8 student-athletes with both 37 goals and 54 points. She also has 46 draw controls, 24 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers. Samantha DeCondo is second to Scaccia with 36 goals and also has 24 ground balls. Stephanie Husnay has a team-high 20 assists to go along with 17 goals. Lauren Wolff has 19 goals and 31 points. Claire Frier is 8-5 in net with a 10.13 goals against average and a .443 save percentage.
Hartwick enters the tourney as the No. 4 seed and is looking for its first-ever E8 postseason victory. The Hawks feature four players with at least 10 points this season. GinaMarie Wilson, who recently surpassed the 100-point plateau for her career, leads Hartwick with 12 goals, eight assists, 20 points, 20 draw controls and 14 ground balls this season. Rachel Hedden has 12 goals while Emily Schaub is right behind with 10. Amy Tracy is tied for the team lead with eight assists. Goalkeeper Jennifer Paszko has played in every minute for the Hawks in 2021, recording a .421 save percentage.
Russell Sage was one of two E8 teams to play all seven originally scheduled league contests. Brittany Gage and Alexandra Queeney are tied for the team lead with 21 points apiece. Queeney has team-best totals 16 goals and 21 draw controls, while Gage has 11 goals and 10 assists. Samantha Shafer and Caroline Musinski have 13 and 12 goals, respectively. Marina Azab and Carly Plaisance have split time between the pipes for the Gators in 2021.
Keuka is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time in its inaugural season as an Empire 8 program. The Wolves are coming off a 23-17 win over Russell Sage on April 24. Sydney Bloom and Madeline Greene are tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 points apiece. Greene has 10 goals and a pair of assists, while Bloom has eight goals and four helpers to go along with 30 draw controls and 10 caused turnovers. Sadie Bonetti has seven goals. Emily Johnson and Victoria Castiglia have split time in net for the Wolves in 2021.
Tuesday’s first round game between Utica and Keuka will mark the second meeting of the season between the two programs. Utica recorded a 22-2 victory over Keuka on April 20. Hartwick defeated first round opponent Russell Sage, 22-7 on April 21.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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