FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship Tournament play on Friday, May 2 at 8pm at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. The second-seeded Stags will take on third-seeded Canisius College in the semifinal.
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Fairfield (12-4; 7-1 MAAC) vs. Canisius (10-6; 6-2 MAAC): The Stags defeated the Golden Griffins, 11-9, on April 26. Senior Jenna Slowey had a six point game, finishing with four goals and two assists. Freshman Riley Hellstein netted three goals while sophomore Julieanne Mascera had two. Sophomore Chelsey Sidaras made 10 saves. Last season, Fairfield fell to Canisius, 13-6, on Lessing Field. Senior Jenna Slowey and sophomore Maeve Quinn tallied one goal apiece. Chelsey Sidaras made six saves. Fairfield is 13-6 all-time against Canisius.
Scouting the Golden Griffins: Canisius is looking for their third consecutive MAAC Championship Tournament title. The Griffs only fell to conference foes Marist and the Stags. Canisius' home loss to Fairfield on April 26 placed the Griffs at the No. 3 seed heading into the tournament. Canisius has outscored their opponents 57-25 in the first half of their last six contests. Senior Maria Kotas is the Griffs' leading scorer this season with 47 goals and 23 assists for 70 points. Junior Tori Quinn has 42 goals while sophomore Taylor Giglio is next with 35. Junior goalie Kayla Scully has a 10.75 GAA with 127 saves, earning a save percentage of .458.
MAAC Attack: 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 of both semifinal games will compete on Sunday, May 4 for the title.
Fairfield in the MAAC Championship Tournament: The Stags have appeared in each of the last eight MAAC Championship Tournaments dating back to the 2006 season. Fairfield has advanced to the finals in five of those appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and has captured the MAAC Championship Tournament title twice in program history (2001, 2009). Last season, the Stags were clipped in overtime by Marist, 7-6, in the semifinals.
MAAC Regular Season Co-Champions: Fairfield earned its 10th MAAC Regular Season Championship title by knocking off Canisius, 11-9, in the regular season finale on April 26. The Stags share the title with Marist College after both teams had identical 7-1 league records.
Last Time Out: The Stags edged Canisius, 11-9, on April 26 to clinch a share of the 2014 MAAC Regular Season Championship at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. Senior Jenna Slowey had a six point game, finishing with four goals and two assists. Freshman Riley Hellstein netted three goals while sophomore Julieanne Mascera had two.
Fairfield vs. the MAAC: The Stags are 7-1 in conference play this season. Fairfield is scoring 12.75 goals per game while holding league opponents to just 7.25 goals per game. The Stags defense is holding opponents to a .360 shot percentage. Fairfield is also picking up 57.1 percent (153-115) of ground balls.
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 (6.93) and 18th in save percentage (0.471) while junior defender Meghan Reda is tied for 22nd in caused turnovers per game (1.69). As a team, Fairfield is ranked sixth in scoring defense (7.06) and 17th overall in win percentage (.750). The Stags are also tied for 21st in caused turnovers per game (9.50) and 23rd in scoring margin (3.56).
