FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Junior Julieanne Mascera records a hat trick as Fairfield University women's lacrosse defeats cross-town foe Sacred Heart, 11-2, in their home opener at Rafferty Stadium. Maeve Quinn, Colleen Reynolds, and Alex Fehmel netted two goals apiece for the Stags, who also received goals from Jamie Leone and Jenna Fuchs.

Fairfield got on the board early, with Quinn scoring the first women's lacrosse goal in Rafferty Stadium history, just 50 seconds into the first half. The goal was assisted by Leone. The Stags expanded the lead with back-to-back unassisted goals by Reynolds and Fehmel at 22:04 and 16:47, respectively. Just 11 seconds later, a goal by Kylie Calandra put Sacred Heart on the board, making the score 3-1.

The Stags quickly regained momentum, going on a 6-0 run for the remainder of the half. Quinn netted her second goal of the game at 15:26 followed by a free position goal by Mascera at 14:10. A minute and a half later, Fehmel converted her own free position attempt into a goal, making the lead 6-1.

One minute later, Reynolds netted her second goal of the game. Play continued until Fuchs scored, off a pass from Quinn, at 6:15. The last goal of the 6-0 run came when Mascera scored, off a feed from Fehmel, with just 13 seconds left in the first half. Fairfield took a 9-1 advantage into halftime.

Despite the snowfall beginning to pick up in Rafferty Stadium, the Stags came out firing in the second half. Leone scored the first goal of the half at 28:46, to put Fairfield up 10-1. Both teams continued to battle through the cold, but neither was able to score for the next 26 minutes. With just 2:25 left to play, Caitlin Delaney scores off a free position shot to end the scoring drought for the Pioneers. The final goal of the game was scored by Mascera at 1:08, sealing an 11-2 victory for the Stags.

Fairfield outshot Sacred Heart 26-13, had a 19-13 advantage in ground balls, and a 9-6 advantage in draw controls. Junior Chelsey Sidaras and sophomore Caleigh O'Connor split time in the net for the Stags. Sidaras recorded eight saves while O'Connor posted two.

Fairfield women's lacrosse (1-0) will continue their three-game homestand on Tuesday, February 17. The Stags will host Hofstra at 3:00 p.m. before hosting Rutgers on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m.