FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team will open their 2015 campaign at home on February 14, 2015. The Stags will take on cross-town foe Sacred Heart as a part of a lacrosse doubleheader to celebrate the Opening Day of newly constructed Rafferty Stadium. The contest will start one hour after the finish of the men's game.
Fairfield (0-0) vs. Sacred Heart (0-0): The Stags are 9-0 all-time against the Pioneers in a cross-town rivalry dating back to 1998. Fairfield is currently on a nine-game win streak against Sacred Heart, including last season's game on March 26. In that contest, Melanie Raso scored four goals to lead Fairfield to a 14-10 win over the host Pioneers on Campus Field. Jamie Leone and Colleen Reynolds scored two apiece and the Stags also received goals from Julieanne Mascera, Riley Hellstein, and Alex Fehmel. Goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras manned the net for the Stags and tallied four saves.
Scouting the Pioneers: Saturday's contest will also be Sacred Heart's season opener. The Pioneers return standouts Caitlin Delaney and Jesslyn Joseph. Last season, Delaney scored 23 goals with six assists for a total of 29 points while Joseph tallied 23 goals with five assists to total 28 points. The Pioneers welcome just six freshmen to their roster this year. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Keenan will be charged with keeping the ball out the net for Sacred Heart. Keenan closed out last season with 139 saves, a save percentage of .417 and a 4-11 record in goal.
Last Time Out: The women's lacrosse team is looking forward to the 2015 campaign after coming off of a successful season last spring. The Stags owned a 12-5 overall record with a 7-1 mark in conference play. Their eighth season with 10 or more wins enabled Fairfield to capture the 2014 MAAC Regular Season Co-Champion title and earn a ninth-straight MAAC Tournament appearance. The Stags last competed on May 2 against host Canisius in the MAAC Tournament semifinal.
Senior Status: Fairfield welcomes back five seniors in the form of one attacker, two midfielders, and two defenders. Kayla Arnold, Lauren Casadonte, and captains Courtney Chmil, Jamie Leone, and Meghan Reda have been integral to the Stags' success over the last three seasons and are gearing up for a memorable final campaign at Fairfield. The strong leadership of the Stags will be the key to their success this season.
Freshmen Frenzy: The Stags welcome 13 freshmen to the roster, all of whom are anticipated to strengthen the team's overall chemistry and athleticism. Rookies Brenna Connolly, Brigid Kenny, Lauren Martinelli, Olivia Russell, and Mary Smyth will serve as attacks for Fairfield while Brooke Gallagher, Catherine Conley, Kathryn FitzPatrick, Amy White, and Rose White will join the midfielders. Freshmen Erin Bauman, Emily Hunt, and Kelly Holt will become a part of the Stags' defensive unit.
Ready for Rafferty: The Fairfield men's and women's lacrosse teams will celebrate their inaugural season at Rafferty Stadium throughout the spring of 2015. The construction of Rafferty Stadium was made possible through the generosity of Fairfield alumni, parents and friends. The stadium is named in recognition of the principal leadership gift from Larry Rafferty '64 and his family, and the field is named in recognition of a gift from Tim Conway '76 and family. Several other locations around the stadium are named to recognize major supporters and contributors to the project, who will be recognized along with additional donors on a plaque located inside the stadium.
Rafferty Stadium seats 3,500 fans in grandstands spanning both sidelines. The FieldTurf playing surface is complemented by state-of-the-art lighting, which provides optimal light levels for both competition and practice, and a Daktronics high-definition video scoreboard. In addition, the stadium includes a terrace level with a fully-enclosed press box that includes a large media suite, two VIP suites and a production suite to support the video capabilities of the scoreboard, television broadcasts and web streaming. On the ground level are two team rooms, food/beverage and apparel concessions, restrooms, a box office and entry plaza.
Schedule Scan: Head Coach Mike Waldvogel is continuing to challenge the Stags as they face teams such Hofstra, Rutgers, and UConn in their nonconference schedule in order to prepare for the MAAC Slate. League play is also challenging with four-time defending MAAC Champions Canisius, Marist, Monmouth, and Quinnipiac in the mix.
Looking Ahead: After Opening Day at Rafferty Stadium, the Stags will continue their three-game homestand. Fairfield will host Hofstra on Tuesday, February 17 at 3:00 p.m. before hosting Rutgers on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Run with the Stags: Fairfield lacrosse season ticket packages and individual game tickets are available now. For more information and for group rates, please contact the athletics ticket office at StagsTickets@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4136 or visit FairfieldStags.com/tix.
