HAMDEN, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team got goals from 13 different players en route to an 18-3 win at in-state Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Quinnipiac on Wednesday afternoon to conclude the regular season slate. Jenna Fuchs led the Stags' offense with her second consecutive hat trick.
The Stags (12-4, 7-1 MAAC) have clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAAC Championship, earning a bye to the semifinal round. Fairfield will play an opponent to be determined on Friday, May 1 in Buffalo, N.Y. at top-seeded Canisius.
In addition to three goals from Fuchs, Alex Fehmel, Riley Hellstein and Riley Smith each scored twice for the Stags. Adding single markers in the victory were Kaitlyn Arnold, Kelly Camardo, Courtney Chmil, Brittany Danielewski, Julieanne Mascera, Maeve Quinn, Olivia Russell, Mary Smyth and Scarlett Sulliman.
Brenna Connolly handed out three assists, with Smyth and Colleen Reynolds each handing out two helpers. Rounding out Fairfield's highest-scoring performance of the season were Hellstein, Mascera, Quinn and Sulliman with one assist apiece.
Defensively, the Stags were led by a duo of goalkeepers. Chelsey Sidaras started and stopped all three shots that she faced. Caleigh O'Connor took over between the posts in the second half and made six saves to complete the effort. Also on the defensive side of the field, Sidaras and Iapoce each grabbed three ground balls.
In the midfield, Smith collected four draw controls as the Stags led the Bobcats, 12-11, in that department.
The offense for Quinnipiac (2-14, 1-7 MAAC) came from Devin Kelly, Kyra Ochwat and Leah Walter with one goal apiece.
The Stags scored the first dozen goals of the afternoon, taking a 12-0 cushion into the intermission. After the Bobcats got on the board to open the second-half scoring, Fairfield netted the next four to extend the margin to 16-2 and coasted the rest of the way to an 18-3 final tally.
Fairfield's semifinal opponent on May 1 will be either third-seeded Monmouth or the sixth-seeded team, which is to be determined pending the completion of action around the MAAC this evening. More information will be available at FairfieldStags.com as it is finalized by the conference office.
