FAIRFIELD, Conn. ? The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team was unable to overcome an early deficit in a 6-4 loss to visiting Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon at Rafferty Stadium. Four different Stags scored a goal on the day, and Chelsey Sidaras made nine saves for Fairfield.
Finding the back of the net for Fairfield (4-3) were Courtney Chmil, Colleen Reynolds, Jamie Leone and Scarlett Sulliman. Alex Fehmel, Jenna Fuchs and Maeve Quinn each notched an assist for the Stags.
Katherine Finkelston netted a hat trick to lead the Huskies (5-4) to the win, while Shannon Nee made 15 saves.
After nearly 13 scoring minutes of action, Fairfield got on the board first via Chmil's eighth goal of the spring (assisted by Fehmel) at 17:08. However, the visitors would account for the next three tallies to claim a 3-1 advantage.
The Stags struck again in the final minutes of the first half. With 1:27 until the intermission, Reynolds worked her way through a pair of defenders and beat the goalkeeper Nee to send Fairfield into the locker room trailing by just one goal at 3-2.
The Huskies regained control to start the second half with goals coming from Finkelston and Emily Anderson as Connecticut rebuilt its advantage to 5-2 with 19:05 to go.
Fairfield's final push began with 13:40 to play when Fuchs connected with a slashing Leone, who converted for the sixth time in 2015. Sulliman would add her goal less than three minutes later on an assist from Quinn to trim the deficit back to one goal at 5-4 with 10:09 remaining in the contest.
However, the Stags would not score again in the contest as Finkelston's third goal of the game for Connecticut ran the score to its eventual final of 6-4.
Fairfield outshot the Huskies, 28-19, and held a 21-17 advantage in ground balls. The Stags committed 11 turnovers while pressuring Connecticut into 17 miscues.
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 feature the Stags competing 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 also host the official dedication of Rafferty Stadium in-between the two games (approximately 4 p.m.) on Saturday as a part of the day-long celebration of Fairfield lacrosse.
