No. 14/15 Fairfield men's lacrosse, a winner of 10 of its last 11 games, has one more battle left. The top-seeded Stags will take on third-seeded Air Force in the ECAC Lacrosse League Championship game on Saturday, May 3 at 5pm at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will air live on Fox Sports 2, check local listings for station availability.
The winner of the ECAC Lacrosse Championship Tournament will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will air Sunday, May 4 at 9pm on ESPNU.
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Fairfield (12-3; 3-1 ECAC) vs. Air Force (9-5; 3-1 ECAC): The Falcons are the only ECAC team to defeat the Stags this season and the only team to hold Colin McLinden, Eric Warden, and Tristan Sperry without points. In their regular season meeting in Colorado on April 12, Air Force handed Fairfield its largest margin of defeat in the 16-8 decision. Rookie Dave Fleming had a four-point effort with three goals and an assist. Sophomore TJ Neubauer scored twice, picked up an assist, and had three ground balls. Senior Jack Murphy made 11 saves while Brett Dadiego and Doug Gouchoe combined for nine saves for the Falcons. Air Force outshot Fairfield 50-20. Ground balls were even at 28 while the Stags won 14 of the 27 faceoffs. Michael Roe went 11-for-20 at the X with eight ground balls. Saturday's meeting is the 11th in program history dating back to 2001. Fairfield is 7-3 all-time against Air Force. Under Head Coach Andy Copelan, the Stags are 4-1 against Air Force.
Scouting Air Force: The third-seeded Falcons used a strong second-half effort to down Ohio State, 14-7, in the semifinals on Thursday. Mike Crampton led the Falcons with five goals, while Keith Dreyer added a goal and four assists. Christopher Allen chipped in with three goals. Eight Falcons received All-ECAC postseason honors, including Crampton who was named the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-ECAC First Team. Crampton has scored 35 goals this season with 16 assists for 51 points. Joining Crampton on the First Team was Dreyer (A), who has 13 goals and 22 assists this season, Erik Smith (M), and Matt Puleo (D). Head Coach Eric Seremet was named the ECAC Coach of the Year. Air Force is holding opponents to 9.43 goals per game. Doug Gouchoe has played the majority of minutes in goal with a 9.90 GAA while Brett Dadiego has seen more than 264 minutes with an 8.40 GAA. Two Falcons have been trading off at the faceoff X this season. Erik Smith has won 56 of 100 draws while Bryan Price is 96-198 (.485).
Brother vs. Brother: Senior Eric Warden will square off against his younger brother, Alex, on Saturday. Both Wardens earned All-ECAC Second team accolades with Eric in the Stags midfield and Alex on defense for the Falcons.
Fairfield in the ECAC Lacrosse League Championship Tournament: The Stags have appeared in each of the last four ECAC Championship Tournaments dating back to the 2011 season. Fairfield has advanced to the finals in three of those appearances (2011, 2012, 2014).
ECAC Lacrosse League Regular Season Co-Champions: Fairfield earned its first-ever piece of the ECAC Lacrosse League Championship by knocking off Ohio State, 7-5, in the regular season finale on April 26. The Stags, who are in their ninth and final season as a member of the ECAC, share the title with Ohio State and Air Force after each team had identical 3-1 league records.
Last Time Out: Fairfield opened ECAC Championship action by downing fourth-seeded University of Michigan, 12-5, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Thursday night The top-seeded Stags were powered by junior Colin McLinden who scored a career-high four goals. Junior Tristan Sperry had three assists while senior Eric Warden had a three-point day with two goals and an assist. Sophomore TJ Neubauer and freshman Jake Knostman each tallied two goals. Senior Jack Murphy had an outstanding night in goal, stopping 15 shots, tying a season-high, and coming away with four ground balls. Senior Michael Roe went 13-for-20 at the faceoff X with eight ground balls.
Make it a Dozen: Fairfield tied the program record for victories in the ECAC Lacrosse League Championship Tournament semifinals with a 12-5 victory over Michigan. It was the Stags' 12th victory of the year. The Stags set the program record for wins in 2012 when they finished the year at 12-4. Fairfield secured its sixth season with at least 10 victories at Quinnipiac on April 15. It is the second 10-win season for Head Coach Andy Copelan.
