The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team concludes the regular season and caps a three-game homestand under the lights at Rafferty Stadium with a visit from Hofstra on Friday, April 24. Opening faceoff on Conway Field is slated for 7 p.m.
The Stags enter their final Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest in contention for at least a share of the CAA regular season title and in the hunt for the top seed in the upcoming CAA Championship.
Fairfield's Last Time Out: Tristan Sperry turned and fired the game-winning goal one minute into the second overtime period as Fairfield outlasted visiting Delaware, 12-11, on Saturday, April 18. Sperry and Drew Federico each tallied four points for the Stags with two goals and two assists apiece.
The Stags also got a pair of markers from TJ Neubauer and Joe Rodrigues, who picked up an assist for a career-best three points on the day. Colin McLinden, Dave Fleming, Nick Guida and Jake Knostman also scored goals for Fairfield.
The Stags were dominant at the faceoff 'X', led by a 16-for-24 showing from Will Fox. The four-time CAA Rookie of the Week also hauled in 10 ground balls off of draws. Joe DeLasho added a 3-for-3 day in the circle to round out Fairfield's 19-for-27 (.704) win percentage.
Tyler Behring made 10 saves between the posts with two ground balls. Also on the defensive end, Matt Borda picked up three ground balls and Tom Lukacovic recorded a pair of caused turnovers.
Scouting Hofstra: The preseason favorite in the CAA, Hofstra enters the final weekend of the regular season at 5-8 overall and 2-2 in the CAA. The Pride need a victory to qualify for the postseason and can secure the CAA's top seed with a win, a Towson loss to Drexel and a UMass loss to Delaware. However, a loss by Hofstra at Fairfield would eliminate the Pride from playoff contention.
CAA Preseason Player of the Year Sam Llinares leads Hofstra with 32 goals and 24 assists to account for his 56 total points. Mike Malave adds 28 goals for the Pride, who are scoring 9.92 goals per outing.
Defensively, Hofstra cedes 8.23 goals per contest. Goalkeeper Chris Selva, the reigning CAA Player of the Week after stopping 12 shots while allowing only two goals in a win over then-No. 12 Towson, owns an 8.07 goals-against average and .521 save percentage this spring.
The Stags and Pride shared two common non-CAA opponents in 2015 as both clubs defeated Manhattan and Providence prior to the start of the conference slate.
Including last season's win in Hempstead, Hofstra owns a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with the Stags. The teams are meeting for the fifth consecutive season.
Fairfield's lone win in the series was a 10-9 triple overtime victory during the 2012 campaign. Brent Adams notched the game-winner for the Stags, and John Snellman scored four times in the triumph on Long Island.
Overtime Odds & Ends: Saturday's double overtime win against Delaware marked the Stags' return to their winning ways when a game exceeds 60 minutes of action; the March 7 loss at No. 6 Yale ended a six-game winning streak for Fairfield in overtime contests.
Fairfield's last game to reach multiple overtimes was a triple-overtime victory at Hofstra in 2012. That game was a part of a three-game stretch that also saw the Stags top Bryant, 9-8 in double overtime and UMBC in overtime all in the span of eight days.
The Stags are 8-3 overall under Head Coach Andy Copelan when a game goes beyond regulation. Fairfield has played at least one overtime game in each of Copelan's seven seasons and last completed an entire season without an overtime contest in 2007.
Prior to the past two contests with Yale, Fairfield last played overtime contests against the same team in consecutive seasons during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Stags upended then-No. 10 Denver, 9-8, in overtime in 2012 and followed with a 10-9 overtime win at then-No. 1 Denver in 2013 - the program's first-ever victory over the nation's top-ranked team.
Will Fox - Four-Time CAA Rookie of the Week: Freshman Will Fox earned Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honors for the fourth time this season after his performance in Saturday's win over Delaware.
The faceoff specialist had a career day with a 16-of-24 (.667) performance at the 'X' with a personal-best 10 ground balls. He started the contest with eight consecutive faceoff wins and capped his afternoon with a draw and ground ball at the start of the second overtime that led to Tristan Sperry's game-winning goal.
For season, Fox ranks second in the CAA and 14th in the nation at 99-of-173 (.572) at the 'X'.
Playoff Push: Information regarding the CAA Championship will be available at FairfieldStags.com as it is finalized by the conference office.
