FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A free-position goal from Colleen Reynolds with 3:11 to play in overtime stood up as the game-winner as the Fairfield University women's lacrosse team took a 7-6 victory against visiting Holy Cross on Tuesday evening at Rafferty Stadium.
Reynolds was one of two players to score two goals for Fairfield (6-3). Maeve Quinn added a pair of markers for the Stags, with single tallies coming from Courtney Chmil, Alex Fehmel and Julieanne Mascera. Riley Hellstein and Jamie Leone each distributed an assist in the win.
On the other end of the field, Chelsey Sidaras made 14 saves – including a free-position shot in the final seconds of regulation – en route to the win. Meghan Reda and Lauren Casadonte fortified the defensive effort with three ground balls apiece.
Chmil led the way in the midfield with four draw controls and two ground balls.
Mary Patalita scored two goals for the visiting Crusaders (2-9). Tess MacKay also posted two points via a goal and assist.
Holy Cross started the scoring with a MacKay goal at 27:39 to take an early 1-0 lead. However, the Stags would then keep the Crusaders off the board for nearly 18 minutes – rattling off four goals in that span to grab a 4-1 advantage. Six different players contributed to the four-goal run with Mascera, Fehmel, Reynolds and Quinn netting goals and Leone and Hellstein each registering an assist.
The Crusaders would respond with a 3-1 stretch over the final 10 minutes of the period as the Stags headed into the intermission with a 5-4 advantage.
The second half went scoreless for over 12 minutes before an unassisted goal from the crosse of Patalita knotted the game at 5-5. Holy Cross would then take the lead with 7:35 to go on Laura Ryan's free-position shot.
Playing from behind for the first time since the game's opening minutes, the Stags' equalizer came with 3:54 remaining in regulation. Chmil was awarded a free-position shot at the top of the arc, where she fired a strike past Crusaders' netminder Katie Boyle to knot the game at 6-6.
Holy Cross had its chances to win the game in regulation, but Sidaras saved a Kaitlin Concilio shot with 11 seconds to play and, after the Crusaders collected the rebound and drew a foul, Sidaras stoned a Ryan free-position shot as time expired.
After both teams made an empty trip in overtime, the Stags capitalized on their second visit to their offensive end. Reynolds worked her way into the arc and was fouled, converting the ensuing free-position shot to put Fairfield on top, 7-6, with 3:11 to play.
After the squads changed sides of the field, Holy Cross won the draw but was unable to get a shot off against the stifling Fairfield defense. Eventually, an errant pass was picked up by Cristina DeVita to allow the Stags to run out the clock on a 7-6 overtime triumph.
Fairfield had not played an overtime game since a 7-6 loss to Marist in the 2013 MAAC Championship. The Stags' most recent win in an extra session was a 12-11 triumph at Canisius during the 2012 campaign. Tonight's game was the first overtime contest – men's or women's – to be played on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium.
The Stags resume Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Saturday, March 28 at Siena. The home slate continues next Wednesday, April 1 with a 3 p.m. visit from Iona.
