FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The CAA slate passes its halfway point as the Fairfield University men's lacrosse team hosts Massachusetts on Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Prior to faceoff, the Stags will recognize the six seniors who will be playing their final regular season home game. All of the action from Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium will be broadcast live on FairfieldStags.TV with J.J. Duke on the call.
Gameday Promotions
The first 400 students in attendance will receive a free Fairfield Stags tumbler. In addition, Fairfield Smiles will donate $2.00 to Relay for Life for every student that attends the game.
Fairfield Lacrosse season ticket holders will also be treated to a pregame reception on Saturday. Season ticket holders that did not receive details via e-mail are asked to contact Zach Dayton, Associate Director of Athletics for Marketing and Communications at zdayton@fairfield.edu.
Senior Day
Saturday's game marks the final regular season home contest in the careers of six seniors: Conor Dalton, Joe Guidarelli, Robert Popdan and 2016 team captains Conor Barr, TJ Neubauer and Charlie Schnider. The senior class has been a part of 35 Fairfield wins to date and was integral in the Stags' 2014 ECAC Lacrosse League and 2015 CAA regular season championships.
Scouting UMass
After an 11-8 home loss to Towson last Saturday, the University of Massachusetts Minutemen stand at 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the CAA. UMass has played the second-toughest schedule in the nation to date, with four of its losses (along with two wins) coming to teams ranked in the current USILA national poll.
Nine players have totaled at least 10 points for the Minutemen, led by 15 goals and five assists from Buddy Carr. Brendan Hegarty has scored 11 goals to go along with four assists.
A trio of UMass goalkeepers has seen significant time in the cage this spring. Sean Sconone (10.40 GAA, .538 save percentage) has made the last two starts, with Dan Dolan (9.47 GAA, .527 save percentage) and D.J. Smith (10.50 GAA, .458 save percentage) also getting in on the action. Smith is the club's most experienced netminder after serving as backup to (current Stony Brook goalkeeper) Zach Oliveri in 2015.
The unit in front of the UMass cage is helmed by 2015 First Team All-CAA defenseman Kyle Karaska.
Stags vs. Minutemen
Fairfield and UMass split a pair of one-goal outings last spring, with the Stags taking a road win in the regular season and the Minutemen returning the favor on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in the CAA Semifinals.
UMass leads the all-time series with the Stags, 8-3, but Fairfield has won three of the four meetings over the last three seasons. The 2014 meeting renewed a series that had been dormant since 2009.
Road Warriors
The Stags will play a pair of road games to cap the regular season, starting with a trip to No. 7 Towson next Saturday, April 23. The Tigers and Stags currently share the top of the CAA standings at 2-0.
Fairfield concludes the regular season on Friday, April 29 at Delaware.
