Women's Lacrosse | 4/30/2023 9:04:17 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher University is looking to win its 11th straight league title, as four teams will vie for the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which takes place with semifinal action on Wednesday, May 3 and the title game taking place Saturday, May 6, with all games played at the higher seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins May 13.
Final 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Seeds
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (7-0 E8, 14-2 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth College (6-1 E8, 9-7 Overall)
No. 3 – Utica University (5-2 E8, 10-5 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (4-3 E8, 10-4 Overall)
The 2023 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).
2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 3 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 7 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
No. 3 Utica University at No. 2 Nazareth College –
4 p.m. – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
Saturday, May 6 – Championship (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA
St. John Fisher enters the 2023 Championship ranked No. 20 nationally with a perfect 7-0 record in league play and 14-2 mark overall, having out-scored opponents, 223-86 on the season. In seven E8 games, St. John Fisher out-scored opponents, 139-24. The Cardinals are looking for their 11th straight league title and 13th overall in program history. Ten different players have at least 10 goals for the Cardinals and four have at least 40 points. Sophomore Sydney Carpenter leads the team in scoring with 58 points on 35 goals and 23 assists to go along with a league-high 149 draw controls. She is in the top-10 nationally in draw controls. Hanna Kumpf leads the Cardinals with 41 goals and is third with 49 points. Courtney O’Dea has 50 points on 27 goals and 23 assists, while Mary Fiorentino has 24 goals and 44 points for the Cardinals. Shannon Foster leads the Cardinals with 23 caused turnovers, while Maddie Lowney has a team-best 40 ground balls to go along with 16 caused turnovers. In net, Lily Godsell has a 5.38 goals against average and a .522 save percentage while playing in all 16 games for the Cardinals.
No. 2 seed Nazareth finished 6-1 in league play and has nine wins overall. The Golden Flyers have eight players with at least 10 goals. Emma States is enjoying another tremendous season, among the league leaders with 48 goals and 66 points. Kate Metzler has 26 goals and 41 points, while Maren Wallace has 20 goals and 15 assists. States also leads the Golden Flyers with 17 caused turnovers. Maggie Gannon leads the Nazareth defense with 35 ground balls and 13 draw controls, while Annie Rubel has a team-high 48 draw controls. States also leads Nazareth with 17 caused turnovers. First-year Allie Klestenic has emerged as the starting goalkeeper down the stretch for the Golden Flyers and has a 5-3 record and a .450 save percentage. Nazareth is looking for its fifth E8 title and first since 2006.
Utica is the No. 3 seed and is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season and sixth time overall. The Pioneers are 9-6 overall in 2022 and 5-2 in E8 play, having out-scored their opponents, 212-148. Grace Stuhlman leads the team in scoring with 54 goals and 70 points in 16 games to go along with 77 draw controls, while Samantha DeCondo is right behind with 66 points on 48 goals and 18 assists. Aana Blaszka leads Utica with 19 caused turnovers in 14 games, while Alyssa Pisano has a team-high 37 ground balls. First-year goalkeeper Breese Burlingame is 10-6 in net with a 9.46 goals against average and a .537 save percentage.
Hartwick enters the tourney for the third straight season as the No. 4 seed with a 10-4 overall record and 4-3 mark in E8 play. The Hawks are out-scoring their opponents 226-135 this season and feature seven players with at least 20 goals. Kristen Vaccarelli and Katrina Marten are the top two scorers in the league this season. Vaccarelli has league-high totals of 62 goals and 80 points, while Marten leads the league and is among the national leaders with 54 assists and has added 24 goals for 78 points. Vaccarelli is also second in the league with 110 draw controls and has 37 ground balls. Goalkeeper Maddi Morrison has played in every minute for the Hawks in 2023, recording a .416 save percentage and 10 wins.
St. John Fisher and Hartwick will be meeting for the second time in four days. The Cardinals defeated semifinal opponent Hartwick, 17-4 to wrap up the regular season on April 29. Nazareth defeated semifinal opponent Utica on the road by a score of 11-9 on April 1.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
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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