FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team will take Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on the road when they travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to face Marist on Saturday, April 18. The Stags are slated to compete at 1:00 p.m. at Leonidoff Field in Tenney Stadium.
Fairfield (10-4; 5-1 MAAC) vs. Marist: The Stags are 16-9 all-time against the Red Foxes in a series dating back to 1997. Last season, Fairfield fell to Marist, 13-6, on April 19 in Fairfield, Conn. for Senior Day. In that contest, Jamie Leone and Riley Hellstein netted goals for the Stags.
Scouting the Red Foxes: Marist is currently 7-6 on the season, with a 3-3 mark in conference play. The Red Foxes are coming off a 9-8 loss to Siena last Wednesday. Marist has posted victories over Columbia, Vermont, Binghamton, Stetson, Iona, Quinnipiac, and Niagara and have fallen to USC, Hofstra, Jacksonville, Canisius, Monmouth, and Siena. This year, Allison Gionta is Marist's leading scorer, tallying 35 goals and 23 assists for 58 points. Goalkeepers Abigail Witczak and Alea Bonner will be charged with keeping the ball out the net for the Red Foxes. Witczak has tallied 93 saves with a save percentage of .431 while Bonner has yet to record a save.
Last Time Out: The Fairfield women's lacrosse team was last in action on Wednesday, April 15 when the Stags edged conference foe Monmouth, 8-7, at Rafferty Stadium. In that contest, sophomore Riley Hellstein scored a goal with just 9.8 seconds left in regulation, completing a hat trick and lifting Fairfield to the pivotal MAAC win. Julieanne Mascera also notched a three-point day for the Stags with two goals and an assist. Fairfield also received goals from Alex Fehmel, Colleen Reynolds and Jenna Fuchs, while Courtney Chmil added an assist.
National Notice: Entering the week, the Stags are among the national statistical leaders in several categories. Junior goalie Chelsey Sidaras is ranked third in save percentage (.538) and seventh in goals against average (6.66). Senior Meghan Reda is ranked 20th in ground balls per game (2.69). As a team, Fairfield is ranked second in saves percentage (.538), eighth in scoring defense (6.92), and tied for 23rd in win percentage (.692).
Looking Ahead: After Saturday's contest, the Stags will resume conference action on the road for their final regular-season contest. Fairfield will head to Hamden, Conn. to face Quinnipiac on Wednesday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m.
