FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team will take on the University of Connecticut (UConn) on Wednesday, March 18 for their fifth home contest of the season. The game is slated for 3:00 p.m. at Rafferty Stadium.
Fairfield (4-2) vs. UConn: The Stags are 4-8 all-time against the Huskies in a series dating back to 1997. Last season, the Stags were edged 8-7 by UConn on March 22 in Storrs, Conn. In that contest, Riley Hellstein netted two goals for Fairfield who also received goals from Courtney Chmil and Colleen Reynolds. Goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras manned the net for the Stags, making six saves.
Scouting the Huskies: UConn is currently 4-4 on the season, and is coming off a 13-5 loss to Boston College last Saturday. The Huskies have posted victories over Dartmouth, New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, and Rutgers and have fallen to James Madison, Massachusetts, Syracuse, and Boston College. UConn returns standouts Katherine Finkelston and Carly Palmucci. Last season, Finkelston scored 39 goals with 11 assists for a total of 50 points while Palmucci tallied 18 goals with 10 assists to total 28 points. This year, Finkelston is UConn's leading scorer, tallying 16 goals and eight assists. Junior goalkeeper Shannon Nee will be charged with keeping the ball out the net for the Huskies. Nee has tallied 60 saves with a save percentage of .444.
Last Time Out: The Fairfield women's lacrosse team defeated Central Connecticut State, 13-9, on Friday, March 13 at Rafferty Stadium. In that contest, senior captain Courtney Chmil and sophomore Alex Fehmel both recorded hat tricks while Julieanne Mascera scored two goals for the Stags. Jenna Fuchs, Colleen Reynolds, Riley Smith, Riley Hellstein, and Scarlett Sulliman also each tallied a goal for Fairfield. Goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras tallied nine saves while Caleigh O'Connor recorded two.
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: Fairfield is back at Rafferty Stadium on Saturday, March 21 to open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play against Manhattan at 2:00 p.m. The game is the first of the “Faceoff For A Cause” doubleheader that will also feature Fairfield men's lacrosse against nationally-ranked Villanova at 5:30 p.m. Both ends of the twin bill will compete as Proud Supporters of the Wounded Warrior Project live on ESPN3 and SportsNet New York (SNY). With a donation of $15, $20, or $30 fans will receive a specially designed hat or a t-shirt for the event, while supplies last. Fans can also bid on a variety of silent auction items including: a GoPro Camera, flat screen TV, motor scooter, and more. All items were donated by family and friends of the lacrosse programs and all funds raised go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Fairfield University will host the official dedication of Rafferty Stadium in-between the two games (approximately 4 p.m.) as a part of the day-long celebration of Fairfield lacrosse.
About the Wounded Warrior Project: The Wounded Warrior Project was established 11 years ago to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. The project's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. Tens of thousands of wounded service members, family members, and caregivers receive support each year through WWP programs.
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.
