No. 14/17 Fairfield men's lacrosse hosts its final game of the regular season game on April 26 when the Ohio State University visits Lessing Field for an ECAC Lacrosse League showdown. The Stags will honor their Senior Class at 12:40pm while faceoff is set for 1:05pm.
In addition, there will be a Friends of Lacrosse reception beginning at 11am in the area adjacent to the Lessing Field ticket entrance. Following at 12pm, there will be a special groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rafferty Stadium. At halftime, Fairfield will honor former head coach Ted Spencer, who is being inducted into the Fairfield University Athletics Hall of Fame. A reception for Spencer will follow the game in Alumni House. To register for pre- and postgame receptions, click here.
Parking Notice: With the Rafferty Stadium project underway, the Walsh Athletic Center Parking Lot is closed and space is limited. Fans are asked to utilize the Fairfield Prep parking lots when they visit campus on Saturday. For convenience, there will be shuttles running on a continuous loop which will bring fans over to Lessing Field.
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Fairfield (10-3; 2-1 ECAC) vs. Ohio State (6-6; 3-0 ECAC): The Stags have dropped two of the last three meetings with the Buckeyes. The two teams met almost a year ago to the date in Columbus, Ohio where the Stags fell, 14-8. TJ Neubauer had two goals and an assist while Michael Roe was 12-23 at the faceoff X for the Stags, picking up a game-high seven ground balls. Jack Murphy finished the game with eight saves and a ground ball. Fairfield is 5-7 all-time against Ohio State with its last win coming in 2012. That season, the teams met in back-to-back contests with the Buckeyes taking the regular season finale, 8-3, while the Stags ousted OSU from the ECAC Championship semifinals, 8-7. Under Head Coach Andy Copelan, the Stags are 3-4 against the Buckeyes.
Scouting the Buckeyes: Ohio State, which is receiving votes in both national polls, has won four straight and five of their last six games entering Saturday. The Buckeyes are coming off an 8-6 win over Air Force last weekend to remain undefeated in ECAC Lacrosse League play and clinch a share of the regular season crown. Jesse King is the Buckeyes' leading scorer with 25 goals and 22 assists in 11 games this season. Carter Brown is also a 20-goal scorer and has 11 assists and 23 ground balls. Sophomore Ryan Hunter was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Hunter has 12 goals and three assists in seven games this season. Senior goalie Scott Spencer was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row on Monday. Spencer has appeared in five games, logging 283 minutes with a 7.42 GAA and 46 saves. Midfielder Jake Withers was named the ECAC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday. Withers has been solid at the faceoff X this season, winning 99 of 189 draws with 60 ground balls.
Next Stop - The ECAC Championship: By virtue of their win against Bellarmine in their conference opener, the Stags set the field for the 2014 ECAC Lacrosse League Championship. The four-team field will be comprised of: Fairfield, Air Force, Ohio State, and Michigan. Saturday's game will impact the seeding. Michigan will be the No. 4 seed in next week's championship while Air Force is locked in to the second or third seed but the final seeding depends on the outcome of the Ohio State/Fairfield game. The ECAC Championship will be held May 1-3 in Columbus, Ohio and will air live on Fox College Sports.
Senior Sendoff: Eleven Stags will be making their final appearance on Lessing Field on Saturday afternoon. The class has helped Fairfield to 38 victories, including a program-best 12 in 2012, and to its highest national ranking ever this season. Prior to Saturday's game, Toby Armour, Geordie Carrick, Alex Cramer, Gary Davies, Peter De Salvo, Shawn Honovich, Connor Maniatty, Jack Murphy, Greg Perraut, Michael Roe, and Eric Warden will be recognized.
ECAC Round-up: Fairfield and Ohio State will play the final ECAC Lacrosse League game of the season on Saturday afternoon. The three other teams have non-league contests on tap; Bellarmine faces Mercer, Air Force travels to Quinnipiac while Robert Morris visits Michigan.
Fairfield at Home: The Stags are 5-1 at home this season. Fairfield is averaging 12.20 goals while holding opponents to 8.20 goals per game. The Stags are 87-55 all-time when playing at home. Fairfield has had winning home records in each of Head Coach Andy Copelan's six seasons for a 27-13 record, including a 5-2 mark last year.
Fairfield vs. the ECAC: The Stags are 2-1 in ECAC Lacrosse League play this season. Fairfield yields a 9.00 GAA to league opponents. The Stags defense is holding opponents to a .229 shot percentage. Fairfield is also dominating at the dot, winning 59.7 percent (37-62) of faceoffs.
It's a Ten: With their win at Quinnipiac at April 15, the Stags forged their sixth season with at least 10 wins. It is the second 10-win season for Head Coach Andy Copelan. Fairfield set the program record for wins in 2012 when it picked up 12. The Stags also had double digit wins in 1997 (10); 1998 (11); 1999 (10); and 2005 (11).
Last Time Out: Sophomore TJ Neubauer scored a career-high six goals to propel the Stags to a 15-10 victory over Quinnipiac University on April 15. Neubauer had an impressive day as he finished with six goals, an assist, seven points, six ground balls, and four caused turnovers, all of which were career bests. Junior Tristan Sperry chipped in with three goals and an assist. Junior Colin McLinden added two goals and two assists. Senior Eric Warden tallied a pair of goals.
ECAC Lacrosse League Weekly Honors: For his efforts at Quinnipiac, TJ Neubauer was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Also earning accolades was Michael Roe who was named the Specialist of the Week for the fourth time this season. He won 10 of 19 faceoffs at Quinnipiac while scooping up four ground balls.
National Notice: Entering the week, Fairfield is among the national statistical leaders in several categories. Goalie Jack Murphy is 15th in goals against average (8.82). Sophomore TJ Neubauer is fifth in shot percentage (.500) while junior Colin McLinden is ninth in assists per game (2.17). As a team, Fairfield is the national leader in shot percentage, converting 39.2 percent of their attempts into goals. The Stags are also tenth in man-down defense (.722) and sixth in winning percentage (.769).
In the Polls: The Stags remained at No. 17 in the Inside Lacrosse Warrior Media Poll while moving up to No. 14 in the USILA Coaches Polls this week. The Stags fell to third in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Poll, ending a streak of four consecutive weeks at No. 1.
