FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team (4-6, 0-0 CAA) begins the defense of its Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship this Saturday, April 2 with a trip to Hofstra. The Pride (6-3, 0-0 CAA) is unranked receiving votes in the major national polls this week after spending much of the season among the nation's top 20. Saturday's opening faceoff under the lights at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. is slated for 7 p.m.
Fairfield's Last Time Out
Fairfield saw its string of two consecutive wins stopped by No. 6 Villanova this past Saturday. Colin Burke racked up four points for the Stags, but the host Wildcats continued their strong play this spring with a 15-9 win.
Burke, who entered the day at the CAA leader in points per game, netted his team-leading 26th goal of the campaign and handed out a career-high three assists to improve his overall point total to 34.
Charlie Horning, Jake Knostman and Nico Panepinto each scored a pair of goals for the Stags, and Charlie Schnider doled out two assists. Drew Murray and TJ Neubauer each added one goal, with Horning and Murray both handing out an assist to round out the Fairfield attack.
Tyler Behring made the start in the cage and recorded nine saves. Brad Nordstrom took over in goal in the fourth quarter and turned away all four shots that he faced.
Joe DeLasho led the away at the faceoff 'X' with a 9-for-18 mark and three ground balls. Will Fox added four wins on the draw, and Neubauer corralled four ground balls in the midfield.
Scouting Hofstra
Ranked as high as No. 8 in the national polls this season, the Hofstra Pride begins conference play with a record of 6-3. Hofstra opened the spring with a signature win at then-No. 5/6 North Carolina and most recently took a convincing 15-8 decision at St. John's this past Saturday.
The Pride offense is led by the Josh Byrne, the CAA's leading scorer with 3.44 points per game (22g, 9a in nine games). Byrne was the NJCAA Attackman of the Year last spring after totaling 106 points (76g, 30a) in 12 games for Nassau Community College.
Byrne is flanked up front by 2015 CAA Player of the Year and 2016 Preseason Player of the Year Sam Llinares with 20 goals and seven assists, and Brian von Bargen has also tallied 20 goals to go along with a trio of helpers.
Jack Concannon has spent all but 15 minutes in the cage for Hofstra this season en route to a 9.00 goals against average and .568 save percentage – both ranking second in the CAA. The sophomore is in his first season as Hofstra's starting goalkeeper. The defense in front of Concannon is led by 2015 First Team All-CAA selection Finn Sullivan.
The Pride has controlled possession behind faceoff man Kris Clarke, who owns a CAA-leading .568 win percentage at the 'X'. The 2015 First Team All-CAA specialist also leads the Association with 6.63 ground balls per contest.
The Stags and Pride shared a pair of common opponents in the non-CAA slate. Both teams took a loss to nationally-ranked Stony Brook, while Fairfield defeated a Georgetown squad (13-9 on March 8) that was coming off of an 11-6 win at Hofstra three days earlier.
Stags vs. Pride
Fairfield and Hofstra are meeting for the sixth consecutive season and seventh time overall. The Pride holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.
Most recently, the Stags took a 5-4 decision on Senior Night at Rafferty Stadium on April 24, 2015. Fairfield jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first quarter and held off the Pride in a defensive battle under the lights. The win proved pivotal for the Stags in clinching the CAA regular season title.
Military Appreciation Day
The Stags return to Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium on Saturday, April 9 at 3 p.m. for a visit from Drexel on Military Appreciation Day. That game is the second half of a doubleheader that will feature Fairfield women's lacrosse hosting MAAC opponent Siena at noon. Both ends of the twin bill will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
All military veterans and active duty military personnel will receive free admission to the game. In addition, limited edition Fairfield Lacrosse apparel will be on sale with proceeds to benefit military charities and organizations.
