Women's Lacrosse 2/18/2014 1:00:00 PM Fairfield University

Women's Lacrosse Opens 2014 Campaign on Wednesday

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team will open their 2014 season at home against Hofstra University on February 19 at 2pm on University Field.

The Stags last met the Pride on February 20, 2013 in Hempstead, N.Y. where Fairfield fell to Hofstra, 8-7. The last time the Stags met the Pride at home was on February 22, 2012 where Fairfield defeated Hofstra in a 12-8 decision.

The women's lacrosse team is looking forward to the 2014 campaign after coming off of a successful season last spring, recording 10 wins and making it to the MAAC Tournament for the eighth straight year. The Stags welcome back 20 letterwinners and add 12 freshmen to the roster, all of whom are anticipated to strengthen the team's overall chemistry and athleticism.

The leadership will be dispersed on the field with senior attacks Samantha Mazzeo and Jenna Slowey, senior midfielder and team captain Melanie Raso, and senior defenders Erinn Hogan, Kerry Lowth, and Sam Sherman. The strong leadership of the Stags will be the key to their success this season.

Mazzeo appeared in five games last season, seeing action in wins over Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, Niagara, Iona, and Manhattan. She has scored twice in her collegiate career and was a MAAC All-Academic Team selection. Slowey, a team captain, has appeared in 53 games, with 30 starts, and enters this season with 82 career points, including 52 goals. Last season, she saw action in all 18 games and started in the final 15. She totaled 29 points, third on the roster, with her 23 goals ranking fourth on the squad. Slowey had eight multi-goal games, with two of her three hat tricks in the final three games of the year.

Raso enters the campaign having scored 119 career points, with 90 goals and 29 assists, and is on the cusp of joining the top-10 list in all three categories. Raso has tallied 120 draw controls, just 22 shy of becoming the Stags' all-time program leader. She was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week last season, and finished fifth on the team in scoring at 21 points, after missing eight games due to injury.

Hogan has started in 39 of the 51 games she has played for the Stags. She started in every game during her junior campaign. Hogan finished last season with four draw controls and 17 ground balls, lifting her career total to 44. Lowth played in a career-high 16 games as a junior. She finished the campaign with 13 ground balls, seven draw controls and seven caused turnovers. Sherman has appeared in 10 games for the Stags, seeing action in victories over Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac last year.

Junior Courtney Chmil, a Preseason All-MAAC selection, returns as one of the team's top midfielders. Last season she earned a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team after starting in all 18 games and finishing fourth with 28 points. Her 24 goals were third on the team and her four assists was a career-high. She was fifth with 24 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers during the campaign. Chmil scored in 14 games as a sophomore, having multiple goals on six occasions, with a season-best four in the game against Manhattan on April 17. She also had two hat tricks last season, against Niagara and Holy Cross.

Also returning are junior captain Addie Reilly and sophomore Jenna Fuchs, who was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team after her freshman campaign. Reilly has started 27 of the 30 games she has played with the Stags and enters the season with 72 points, 63 of which are goals. Reilly saw action in five games, before suffering a knee injury at James Madison where she netted a hat trick. She tallied 14 points, with 10 goals, in the five games before she was injured. Fuchs finished last season with 17 points, most amongst the Stags rookies. She recorded two hat tricks against Sacred Heart and Manhattan. She recorded a total of 15 draw controls during the year, with a season-high five in back-to-back games versus Niagara and Iona.

For the first time in three seasons, the Stags will have young goalkeepers. Sophomore Chelsey Sidaras and rookie Caleigh O'Connor are charged with the task of keeping the ball out of the net for the Stags. Sidaras begins this season with 37 saves over the course of 10 games last year. A native of Califon, N.J., O'Connor was a decorated goalie for Villa Walsh Academy. Both as a senior and throughout her career, she stopped 50 percent of the shots she faced, earning her an All-Daily Record Honorable Mention. Her junior year she was named Second Team All-League and earned a Morris County All-Country Honorable Mention.

Head Coach Mike Waldvogel is continuing to challenge the Stags as they face teams such as UConn, Hofstra, and Holy Cross in their nonconference schedule in order to prepare for the MAAC Slate. League play is also challenging with three-time defending MAAC Champions Canisius, Marist, Monmouth, and Iona in the mix.

After their home opener, the Stags travel to Piscataway, N.J. to face Rutgers on February 22 at 1pm.

Print Friendly Version