FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team heads to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponent Canisius to compete in their last regular season contest at the Demske Sports Complex on Saturday, April 26. The game is set for 12pm.
Fairfield (11-4; 6-1 MAAC) vs. Canisius (10-5; 6-1 MAAC): The Stags are 12-6 all-time against the Golden Griffins since 1999. Last season, Fairfield fell to Canisius, 13-6, on April 13. In that contest, senior captain Jenna Slowey and Maeve Quinn tallied one goal apiece for the Stags. Chelsey Sidaras manned the net for 41:24 and recorded six saves.
Scouting the Griffs: Canisius enters Saturday's contest on a five-game win streak and is coming off a 19-12 victory over Niagara on April 23. The Griffs have outscored their opponents 51-20 in the first half of their last five contests. Senior Maria Kotas is Canisius' leading scorer this season with 47 goals and 25 assists for 72 points. Junior Tori Quinn has 43 goals while classmate Meghan Cuddy is next with 38. Junior goalie Kayla Scully has recorded 126 saves, earning a save percentage of .458.
Last Time Out: Fairfield was last in action on April 23 when the Stags defeated MAAC foe Monmouth, 5-4, on Kessler Field in West Long Branch, N.J. Senior Melanie Raso netted three goals for the Stags while rookie Riley Hellstein scored two. Senior Jenna Slowey and Raso picked up assists for Fairfield.
National Notice: Entering the week, the Stags are among the national statistical leaders in several categories. Sophomore goalie Chelsey Sidaras is ranked fifth in goals against average (6.99) and 20th in save percentage (0.466) while junior defender Meghan Reda is tied for 18th in caused turnovers per game (1.79). As a team, Fairfield is ranked sixth in scoring defense (7-14) and 16th in caused turnovers per game (9.79). The Stags are also tied for 19th overall in win percentage (.714) and are 22nd in scoring margin (3.86).
MAAC Attack: The Stags have clinched their ninth consecutive MAAC Tournament berth. Fairfield will return to Buffalo, N.Y. to face Canisius in the MAAC semifinal on Friday, May 2 at 8pm. The winner of Saturday's game will earn the No. 2 seed and the loser will be the No. 3 seed heading into the tournament. Top-seeded Marist (13-2; 7-0 MAAC) will face fourth-seeded Monmouth (7-9; 4-3 MAAC) in the first semifinal on Friday, May 2 at 5pm. The winners will compete on Sunday, May 4 for the title.
