Women's Lacrosse | 4/30/2026 8:45:00 PM
No. 1 seed St. John Fisher University (14-4) and No. 2 seed SUNY Geneseo (11-7) advanced to the 2026 Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship game after earning semifinal wins on Thursday, April 30. St. John Fisher defeated No. 4 seed Utica University, 17-4, while Geneseo defeated No. 3 SUNY Brockport, 15-8.
The Cardinals will host Geneseo in the 2026 E8 Women's Lacrosse Championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 from Growney Stadium. It will be the second consecutive meeting in the title game between the two programs.
St. John Fisher is looking to win its 14th straight Empire 8 Championship and 16th overall in program history, while Geneseo is attempting to win its first Empire 8 title and is in the title game in its second season as an E8 member. 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, 13-10 on April 8. Ellie Leisen tallied five goals and seven points in the win. Grace Reyna had three goals and two assists.
NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 17, NO. 4 UTICA 4
The top-seeded St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team defeated No. 4-seeded Utica 17-4 in the Empire 8 Conference Semifinals on Thursday evening at Growney Stadium.
Sophomore attacker/midfielder Athena Lazina scored a career-high five goals for the Cardinals. Including Lazina, who scored four of her five goals in the first half, the Cardinals had seven players tally two points or more in the win. Senior attacker Dharma Makarowsky (three goals, one assist) and junior attacker Ellie Leisen (two goals, two assists) each had four points, while senior attacker Megan McGrath (three goals) and junior attacker Chelsea Lopata (three assists) recorded three points apiece. Senior midfielder Kaley Griffin (two goals) and sophomore attacker Chloe Scanlan (one goal, one assist) each chipped in two points.
The Cardinals limited the Pioneers to just seven total shots (five on goal) and caused 21 turnovers – the most they have ever recorded in an Empire 8 Tournament game. Senior defender Maddie Lowney led the way with four caused turnovers.
Maria Stuhlman had two goals and an assist, while Jessica Marciano had a goal and an assist and Alyssa Specchio scored for Utica, Makayla Purdy made 10 saves for the Pioneers, who had their season end with an 11-7 mark.
The Cardinals have now won 76 straight games against Empire 8 opponents dating back to the 2018 season.
NO. 2 SUNY GENESEO 15, NO. 3 SUNY BROCKPORT 8
SUNY Geneseo women's lacrosse earned its second straight Empire 8 Championship game berth after a 15-8 win over Brockport from College Stadium.
Brockport struck first on an early free position shot, but the Knight took control of the first quarter, posting six goals led by
Grace Reyna with two back-to-back.
Lila Warner added two of her own and was joined by
Rosemary Mahoney and
Katie Rajkowski on the scoresheet.
Mahoney lit up the net in the second quarter, tallying three more goals for Geneseo. Warner and Reyna each added another for a hattrick wile
Emma McGuigan scored one of her own, making it 12-3 heading into halftime.
The Knights slowed it down, focusing on clean play for the rest of the half, but it didn't stop Mahoney and Warner from adding two more goals to the board, followed by
Cara Calicchia whipping one bottom right to make it 15-5. The Golden Eagles made a push in the fourth, but were unmatched against Geneseo's game, losing to the Knights 15-8.
Mahoney led the team with five points from five goals, totaling 65 points this season to lead the Knights.
Violet Piccinini was a force on the field, picking up eight draw controls, four groundballs and three caused turnovers, leading the team in each of those stats against the Golden Eagles.
Teagan Culhane picked up her tenth win in net, making 10 saves while also recording her 100th career save.
Hailey Lewkowich and Amanda Evans scored three goals apiece for SUNY Brockport, who had its season come to an end with a 12-6 mark.