FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team will look to remain undefeated at newly constructed Rafferty Stadium as the Stags host Hofstra on Tuesday, February 17 at 3:00 p.m.
Fairfield (1-0) vs. Hofstra (1-0): The Stags are 1-10 all-time against the Pride dating back to 1997. Fairfield's only win against Hofstra came on February 22, 2012 in the form of a 12-8 decision. Last season, the Stags fell 8-7 to the Pride on February 19 in Hempstead, N.Y. In that contest, sophomore Colleen Reynolds scored twice for the Stags, who also received goals from Julieanne Mascera and Jamie Leone. Courtney Chmil and Leone had assists in the contest. Goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras manned the net for Fairfield and tallied six saves.
Scouting the Pride: Hofstra is currently 1-0 on the season, and is coming off a 15-11 victory over the University of New Hampshire last Saturday. The Pride return standouts Brittain Altomare and Sam Lenox for their final campaigns. Last season, Altomare scored 30 goals with 36 assists for a total of 66 points while Lenox tallied 16 goals with one assist to total 17 points. This year, Altomare and Lenox are tied as Hofstra's leading scorers, tallying four goals apiece. Senior goalkeeper Kelsey Gregerson will be charged with keeping the ball out the net for the Pride. Gregerson has tallied 11 saves with a save percentage of .524.
Last Time Out: The Fairfield women's lacrosse team defeated cross-town foe Sacred Heart, 11-2, on Saturday, February 14 as a part of a lacrosse doubleheader celebrating the Opening Day of Rafferty Stadium. In that contest, junior Julieanne Mascera recorded a hat trick in the Stags' home opener of the 2015 campaign. 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 just 50 seconds in, with Quinn scoring the first women's lacrosse goal in Rafferty Stadium history, and never looked back. Goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras tallied eight saves.
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.
Looking Ahead: After Tuesday's matchup, the Stags will host Rutgers for the last contest of their three-game homestand. Fairfield will host the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. before traveling to Bethlehem, Pa. to face Lehigh on Saturday, February 28 at 1:00 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.
