Oct. 31, 2006
Fairfield, Conn. -Fairfield University head men's lacrosse coach Ted Spencer announced the Stags 12-game 2007 schedule this morning. The Stags will play seven ECAC Lacrosse League opponents and are hosting seven home contests.
"We have an extremely competitive schedule for this season," said Spencer. "Not only are we tested by playing in one of the best leagues in the country, but our non-conference slate is loaded with teams that are nationally ranked on a yearly basis."
The Stags begin their second season as a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League, and will host the 2006 national runner-up Massachusetts on Tuesday, April 24. Fairfield nearly uprooted the Minutemen's campaign a year ago, leading 6-4 in the final minutes, before falling 7-6.
Fairfield begins the 2007 season at home, hosting Providence on Saturday, February 24. After a trip to Dartmouth on March 3, the Stags return home for the ECAC opener, March 10, hosting Rutgers. A non-conference tilt with Bucknell is set for March 13, and the Stags close out the three-game homestand March 17 against Harvard. The Stags defeated both the Scarlet Knights and Crimson in road games a year ago, while the meeting with the Bison is the first in program history.
Next up for the Stags will be a three-game ECAC road swing, beginning with a trip to Penn State, March 24. The last time the Stags visited Happy Valley, they came away with a thrilling 11-10 overtime victory. The middle game of the swing is on the last day of March, and finds the Stags at Hobart, a team they defeated 15-9 on Alumni Field in 2006. The trip ends in the nations capitol on April 7, with a league game at Georgetown.
Three of the final four games of the season will be played at home, beginning with a Sunday, April 15 meeting with perennial power, North Carolina. The Tar Heels visit to campus will be the first in the series' history, and the second by an ACC member in the last three years (Maryland, 2005). Fairfield then heads back south, to Baltimore, for its final road game of the year, at league foe Loyola, on April 21. After hosting UMASS, the Stags will play the final regular season game April 29, hosting St. Johns.
The ECAC regular season champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2007. Georgetown and UMass both earned at-large bids to the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
