FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team brings the only unblemished CAA record to Johnny Unitas Stadium to meet the defending champions of the Association, the No. 10 Towson Tigers. Both the Stags and Tigers enter Saturday's game in contention to earn top seed and hosting duties for the upcoming CAA Championship
The CAA Playoff Picture
As the lone 3-0 team in the Association, the Stags have clinched a berth in the CAA Championship. While the playoff picture will not be complete until the end of the regular season, several pieces could become clearer for the Stags after Saturday's slate of games.
With a win at Towson, Fairfield would clinch at least a share of the CAA regular season title. If the Stags win and Delaware loses, Fairfield would also claim top seed for the tournament. If Fairfield wins and both Delaware and Hofstra lose, the Stags would take the outright regular season crown.
The top four teams qualify for the 2016 CAA Championship, which will be hosted by the top seed on Thursday, May 5 and Saturday, May 7.
Fairfield's Last Time Out
The Stags closed out the 2016 home schedule this past Saturday with an 8-6 CAA win over UMass. Tyler Behring made 19 saves in the cage en route to national recognition from the USILA and InsideLacrosse.com.
On the offensive end, Jake Knostman netted a hat trick for the Stags and Charlie Schnider notched a four-point afternoon with a goal and three assists.
Scouting Towson
Saturday's 10-7 home loss to Delaware snapped a five-game winning streak for No. 7 Towson. The defending CAA champion Tigers enter the weekend at 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the Association.
Ryan Drenner leads the Towson offense with 39 points comprised of 21 goals and a team-best 18 assists. 2015 All-CAA First Team honoree Joe Seider is the Tigers' top goal scorer with 24 markers this spring.
Reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team USILA All-American Tyler White is back in the cage for the Tigers. He leads the Association and ranks third nationally with a 6.86 goals-against average. White's .549 save percentage is good for third in the CAA and 17th in the nation.
Along with White and Seider, the other returning All-CAA performer to the Tigers this season is Tyler Mayes, who was a Second Team All-CAA pick as a long-stick midfielder. He has 21 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers in 2016.
Stags vs. Tigers
The inaugural CAA encounter between the two teams last season was also the first-ever game in the all-time series. Towson took the decision, 8-7, on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium.
In addition to victories over CAA foes Drexel and UMass this season, the Tigers and Stags shared one common opponent in the non-league slate as both clubs defeated Georgetown.
Up Next
Fairfield concludes the regular season on Friday, April 29 at Delaware. Faceoff under the lights at Delaware Stadium is slated for 7 p.m.
