Women's Lacrosse | 5/1/2024 9:00:00 PM
No. 1 seed St. John Fisher University (10-7) and No. 2 seed Utica University (14-3) advanced to the 2024 Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship game after earning semifinal wins on Wednesday, May 1. St. John Fisher defeated No. 4 seed Hartwick College, 19-2, while Utica defeated No. 3 Nazareth University, 18-12.
The Cardinals will host Utica in the 2024 E8 Women's Lacrosse Championship game at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 from Growney Stadium. St. John Fisher is looking to win its 12th straight Empire 8 Championship and 14th overall in program history, while Utica is attempting to win its first Empire 8 title and is in the title game for the first time in program history. The winner of Saturday's game will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
St. John Fisher won the previous meeting between the two schools earlier in the season, 18-3 on April 13. Sydney Carpenter tallied five goals and seven points in the win.
NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 19, NO. 4 HARTWICK 2
The top-seeded Cardinals held Hartwick scoreless over the final 46:01 of regulation on their way to a 19-2 win over Hartwick in the second E8 semifinal at Growney Stadium. With the win, St. John Fisher improves its overall record to 10-7, while the Hawks end their season with a final record of 7-8.
St. John Fisher's depth on both sides of the field showed early, as they forced several turnovers and scored six times in the opening quarter and four more times in the second quarter for a 10-2 lead at the half.
Mary Fiorentino, Hannah Kumpf, Sidney Carpenter, Kaley Griffin and Cara Landry combined for 23 points in the win. Fiorentino led all scorers with six points on four goals and two assists, while Kumpf had four goals and an assist, Carpenter tallied four goals, Griffin had three goals and an assist, while Landry dished out four assists. Goalkeeper Maggie Cross made seven saves.
Sydney Carpenter became the first player in E8 and St. John Fisher history to reach 400 career draw controls. Maddie Lowney added a game-high five ground balls, as Fisher held a 22-8 edge in the contest. The Cardinals held a 35-11 edge in shots and were 29-for-32 on clears.
Kristen Vaccarelli and Emily Madigan scored for the Hawks, while Katrina Marten dished out two assists. Brooke Lynett made 11 saves in net.
The Cardinals have now won 53 straight games against Empire 8 opponents dating back to the 2018 season.
NO. 2 UTICA 18, NO. 3 NAZARETH 12
For the first time in program history, the Utica University women's lacrosse program will play for the Empire 8 title. The Pioneers topped the third-seeded Nazareth University Golden Flyers, 18-12, in the Empire 8 Semifinals from Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
The win also set a new single-season program record for victories with 14. Utica has now won 14 of its last 15 contests.
Freshman
Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) totaled five goals in her first career postseason game. She also registered an assist for a team high six points.
Alyssa Pisano (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and
Samantha DeCondo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had three goals each while
Kerry Carr (New Hartford, NY/Manhattanville College) added a pair.
Grace Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro),
Bella Kolb (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) and
Alyssa Drell (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) all had one.
Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) stopped eight Nazareth shots en route to her first career playoff win in goal. The Pioneers edged the Golden Flyers in draw controls, 17-16, led by Grace Stuhlman's six, as well as four from Pisano and three wins by Carr. DeCondo, Maria Stuhlman and
Aana Blaszka (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) were key parts of the Utica defense with seven combined caused turnovers.
Utica came out on fire in the first quarter with six goals to Nazareth's two. Maria Stuhlman and Carr scored quickly before Nazareth responded at the 8:08 mark. This led to four unanswered Pioneer goals, two of which by Pisano, to go into the second up by four.
However, Nazareth responded with four straight goals of its own to open the second quarter, making it 6-5 with 8:44 to go in the half.
The Pioneers dug their heels in defensively and didn't allow a single Golden Flyers goal from that point forward in the half. Meanwhile, DeCondo scored at the 6:45 mark before Grace Stuhlman notched her first with 2:08 to play in the half. With the clock running down, M. Stuhlman sent Utica into halftime on a high note with a goal with two seconds to go in the half to make it 9-5.
Nazareth came out of the break looking to chip away and did so with back-to-back goals to open the second half. Kolb got Utica on the board in the third with her first of the game at the 10:48 mark. The Golden Flyers scored once more in the quarter before the Pioneers closed it out with three straight to go ahead 13-8 entering the final 15 minutes.
There, Utica tacked on five unanswered goals from the start of the fourth until 5:26 remaining. Carr, Pisano and
Jordan Kowalski (Chicopee, MA/Plattsburgh State (NCAA DIII)) each had one over that stretch while Maria Stuhlman netted two to build a comfortable 18-9 lead.
Kate Metzler led Nazareth with five points on four goals and an assist. The Golden Flyers finish the season with a 7-10 record.
2024 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 1 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University, 19-2 – BOX SCORE
No. 2 Utica University defeated No. 3 Nazareth University,
18-12 –
BOX SCORE
Saturday, May 4 – Championship (at Highest Remaining Seed)
No. 2 Utica at No. 1 St. John Fisher – TBA – LIVE STATS/VIDEO
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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