UTICA, N.Y.- The SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team honored its four seniors on Sunday in a game against Husson at Wildcat Field. Molly Burdick, Bridget Mooney, Emma Draper, and Sabrina Trimblett were recognized in a ceremony before the game for their contributions to the Wildcat women's lacrosse program. Unfortunately, SUNY Poly lost to Husson with a score of 19-7, ending their 2023 season with a 3-10 record.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Natalie Whitten started the scoring for Husson with a free position shot in the first quarter. Kaitlin Kopcza responded with a free position shot of her own for SUNY Poly to tie it at one but Husson took control of the game, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead. The Wildcats would score two goals in the second quarter, but six goals by Husson grew the lead to 10-3 at the break.

In the second half, SUNY Poly tried to mount a comeback but was unable to overcome the deficit. Kaitlin Kopcza, Molly Burdick, and Madison Bastien each scored for SUNY Poly in the second half, but it was not enough. Husson's offense was led by Averi Baker and Sophia Gomez, who combined for ten goals and four assists in the game.

SUNY Poly goalkeeper, Jayden Brown, made 13 saves, while Husson goalkeeper, Emma Begin, made 10 saves to improve her record to 3-0. Husson improved its record to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in the North Atlantic Conference, while SUNY Poly fell to 3-10 overall and 2-4 in the North Atlantic Conference.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Kaitlin Kopcza was the Wildcat's scoring leader with four goals. She finished her first season at SUNY Poly with 43 goals and nine assists (52 points). She also led the Wildcats this season with 39 ground balls and was second on the team with 71 draw controls.
• Molly Burdick scored a pair of goals, had six draw controls, and a pair of ground balls in her final game in a Wildcat uniform. The senior finished this season with a team-high 64 points on 53 goals and 11 assists. She also had a team-high 76 draw controls, a team-high 20 caused turnovers, and 34 ground balls. She ranked top-10 in the NAC in all of those categories.
• Madison Bastien scored the only other goal for the Wildcats. She finished the season with nine points on seven goals and two assists.
• Jayden Brown Made 13 saves in goal for the Wildcats. The freshman goalkeeper played every minute of every game for the Wildcats this season. She made 152 saves, the most in the NAC, and made a conference-best 10.86 saves per game.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:

• In four seasons for Wildcat Lacrosse, Molly Burdick is one of just seven players to record 100 career points. She has been named to two All-Conference teams as a lacrosse player. To date, she has scored 100 goals, has dished out 25 assists, has won 147 draw controls, and has scooped up 128 groundballs. Playing four sports in her time at SUNY Poly, Molly will go down as one of the best multi-sport athletes in the history of Wildcat Athletics. She will graduate from SUNY Poly with a degree in Business Administration.
• Emma Draper has played two seasons for the Wildcat lacrosse team. In 25 games played, Draper has scored four goals and has dished out one assist. She has also recorded 16 ground balls and has caused five turnovers.  Emma was also a standout volleyball player at SUNY Poly. Emma will graduate from SUNY Poly with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
• Bridget Mooney has been a part of the Wildcat lacrosse team for four years. In that time, she has played in 29 games on defense with 10 caused turnovers and 24 groundballs. Bridget will graduate from SUNY Poly with a degree in Nursing.
• Sabrina Trimblett played nine games in her first season with Wildcat Lacrosse. As a defender, Trimblett has caused two turnovers and has scooped up four ground balls. Sabrina was also a solid player for the Wildcat women's volleyball team for the last four seasons. Sabrina will graduate from SUNY Poly with a degree in Communication Information Design with minors in Computer Science and Marketing.

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SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.