FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team is set to compete in the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship on Sunday, May 3 at noon at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. The second-seeded Stags will take on the top-seeded host Canisius to compete for a conference title and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

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Fairfield (13-4; 7-1 MAAC) vs. Canisius (13-5; 8-0 MAAC): The Stags fell to the Griffs, 11-10, in an exciting contest on April 11 at Rafferty Stadium. Junior Colleen Reynolds recorded a hat trick for the Stags while Courtney Chmil and Alex Fehmel recorded two goals apiece. Fairfield also received tallies from Jamie Leone, Julieanne Mascera, and Maeve Quinn. Junior goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras made nine saves in the contest.

Scouting the Golden Griffins: Canisius is seeking their fourth consecutive MAAC Championship Tournament title. The Griffs swept all their MAAC opponents during the regular season, posting a perfect 8-0 conference record. Canisius' home, 15-7, win over fifth-seeded Marist on April 1 allowed the Griffs to advance to the final round. Canisius has outscored its opponents 214-189 this year, having outscored opponents 117-92 in the first half of their games. The Griffs have scored 11.89 goals per game and have tallied 25.4 shots per game. Senior Tori Quinn is Canisius' leading scorer, with 38 goals and 35 assists for 73 points. Junior Taylor Giglio and rookie Erica Evans have also recorded 38 goals. Senior goalkeeper Kayla Scully has an 8.97 GAA with 85 saves, earning a save percentage of .464.

Fairfield in the MAAC Championship Tournament: The Stags have appeared in each of the last nine MAAC Championship Tournaments dating back to the 2006 season. Fairfield has advanced to the finals in five of those appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and has captured the MAAC Championship Tournament title twice in program history (2001, 2009). Last season, the Stags were clipped by Canisius, 12-10, in the semifinals.

Last Time Out: The No. 2 Stags topped No. 3 Monmouth, 8-7, on May 1 in the MAAC Tournament semifinal to advance to the championship contest. Sophomore Riley Hellstein led the Stags' offense with a hat trick. In addition to three goals from Hellstein, Julieanne Mascera scored twice for Fairfield. Adding single markers in the victory were Maeve Quinn, Courtney Chmil, and Jenna Fuchs. The Stags shutout Monmouth in the first half, taking a 3-0 advantage into halftime. The Stags started off on a 5-0 run against the Hawks, before Monmouth scored their first goal of the game at 26:29 in the second half. Action picked up in the second half with seven goals for Monmouth and three more for Fairfield, sealing an 8-7 victory for the Stags.  

Fairfield vs. the MAAC: The Stags are 7-1 in conference play this season. Fairfield is scoring 12.25 goals per game while holding league opponents to just 6.75 goals per game. The Stags defense is holding opponents to a .378 shot percentage. Fairfield is outscoring league opponents 51-27 in the first half of conference contests. The Stags are also picking up 53.1 percent (126-111) of ground balls and 53.6 percent (90-78) of draw controls.

National Notice: Entering the week, the Stags are among the national statistical leaders in several categories. Junior goalkeeper Chelsey Sidaras is the national leader in save percentage (.537) and is ranked fifth in goals against average (6.59). As a team, Fairfield tops the chart in save percentage (.540), is ranked fourth in scoring defense (6.81), and is tied for 17th in win percentage (.750). The Stags are also ranked 25th in scoring margin (3.25).