The midway point of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) schedule will be highlighted by a showdown of the two remaining unbeaten teams as the No. 20 Fairfield University men's lacrosse team plays host to No. 16 Towson. Opening faceoff from Rafferty Stadium on Saturday, April 11 is slated for 2 p.m.
The Stags (7-4, 2-0 CAA) most recently defeated host Massachusetts, 10-9, on Saturday to earn their fifth consecutive win en route to entering the national rankings for the fourth straight season. The Tigers (8-3, 2-0 CAA) stayed perfect in CAA action with a 12-7 win at Delaware.
Fairfield's Last Time Out: Fairfield won its fifth consecutive game and remained at unbeaten in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play with a 10-9 victory at Massachusetts on April 4. TJ Neubauer scored four goals and Jake Knostman racked up a hat trick for the Stags.
Fairfield also got a single markers from Drew Federico, Colin McLinden and Charlie Schnider.
The Stags emerged victorious in a one-goal contest for the first time this spring after landing on the short end of a one-goal decision in all four of their early-season losses.
McLinden and Neubauer each collected three ground balls, while Max Buchanan helmed the back row with four. Tyler Behring made 12 saves with a pair of ground balls to improve to 4-0 in goal.
UMass outshot Fairfield, 35-33, and held a 29-24 advantage in ground balls. Buddy Carr was the lone Minuteman to net multiple goals, and Zach Oliveri made eight saves between the posts for UMass.
The Nation Takes Notice: On the heels of their five-game winning streak, the Stags have entered the national rankings in a pair of major polls. Fairfield is currently ranked No. 20 in both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll.
The Stags have now earned a national ranking in each of the last four seasons. Head Coach Andy Copelan led his squad as high as No. 11 on the national ledger last spring en route to the team's first-ever ECAC Lacrosse League Regular Season Championship and a trip to ECAC Championship Game.
For their recent performance, the Stags have also been named the NCAA.com Team of the Week for the week ending on April 5.
Will Fox - Three-Time CAA Rookie of the Week: This past Monday, freshman Will Fox earned Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season. The faceoff specialist went 9-of-13 (.692) at the 'X' in the Stags' victory at Massachusetts on Saturday.
Fox's 9-for-13 mark was highlighted by a 6-of-7 showing in the second half as the Stags stretched a one-goal halftime lead to an 8-4 advantage after three quarters and then held off a late Minutemen rally en route to a 10-9 win. The freshman also scooped up a pair of ground balls.
A native of Mullica Hill, N.J., Fox is the only CAA Lacrosse student-athlete to be named Rookie of the Week on multiple occasions this spring.
Scouting Towson: The Towson Tigers enter the weekend with a record of 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the CAA. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 16 by the USILA and No. 15 in the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll on the heels of a three-game winning streak.
Joe Seider leads the Tigers in both goals (25) and total points (30), ranking in the top five in the CAA in both categories. Spencer Parks adds 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) for Towson.
The third-ranked defense in the nation with 6.91 goals allowed per contest is led by goalkeeper Tyler White. White currently leads the CAA (among qualifying goalkeepers) with a 6.72 goals-against average, .602 save percentage and 9.91 saves per game.
Defense Does It: A common thread among the Stags' seven victories this spring has been keeping their opponents off the board for an extended stretch of time. Fairfield's last four opponents have been held scoreless for at least one entire quarter, and all 11 foes to date have been limited to one goal or fewer in at least one quarter of action against the Stags.
Most notably, Fairfield held No. 20 Villanova scoreless for 40:43 of game time - a span that included the entirety of both the second and third quarters - in an eventual 11-4 win on March 21.
On the season, Fairfield ranks fourth in the nation and second in the CAA with 7.27 goals per game allowed. Saturday's matchup with Towson features the Association's top-two defensive and goalkeeping units.
Fairfield vs. Ranked Opponents: Following the March 21 win over then-No. 20 Villanova, Fairfield has defeated at least one ranked opponent (in the USILA Coaches' Poll) in each of Andy Copelan's seven seasons at the helm - including a win at then-No. 1 Denver during the 2013 season.
Along with topping the Wildcats this spring, the Stags were clipped by then-No. 6 Yale in overtime and have knocked off a previously-ranked Colgate squad that had slipped to the “others receiving votes” column at the time of the encounter.
Additionally, Stony Brook, Bucknell and Drexel have all been ranked during the 2015 campaign but were not counted among the nation's top 20 teams when they hosted the Stags.
A Rafferty Residency: Fairfield continues a three-game homestand on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium with a visit from Delaware on Saturday, April 18. The Stags conclude the regular season against CAA preseason favorite Hofstra on Friday, April 24. Tickets for both contests are available for purchase at FairfieldStags.com/tix.
