FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team heads to Buffalo, New York on Friday for the semifinal round of the 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships. In a rematch of the 2015 title game, the No.5 seeded Stags will take on No. 1 seed and host Canisius at 8:00 pm on ESPN3.

No. 5 Fairfield (9-8, 4-4 MAAC) vs. No. 1 Canisius (11-5, 8-0 MAAC): The Stags and Griffins will meet on Friday for the 24^th time in program history. Fairfield is 14-9 against Canisius and lost in Buffalo earlier this season, 12-6, on March 25^th.

Scouting the Golden Griffins: Canisius is 11-5 this season and have won nine in a row heading into Friday's contest. Back on March 25^th, they bested Fairfield 12-6 on their home turf in Buffalo. Sophomore midfielder Erica Evans leads the team with 73 points this season off 59 goals and 14 assists. Behind her is senior attack Taylor Giglio who is second on the team with 55 points (39 goals, 16 assists). In cage, sophomore Rebecca VanLaeken has made 14 starts for the Golden Griffs. She posts a 7.92 goals against average and 87 saves this season.

Last Time Out: The team held off Niagara in the MAAC Tournament First Round, 9-7. A week after falling to the Purple Eagles, 9-7, the Stags were able to come out with the two goal victory the second time around. A second half surge, pulled the home team within two with under five minutes to play, but Fairfield held strong and came out with the win. Alex Fehmel led the Stags offense with five points off four goals and one assist. While Riley Hellstein added four points, with two goals and two assists. Chelsey Sidaras faced 18 shots, making four saves on the day. Scarlett Sulliman played all over the field collecting five groundballs, two caused turnovers, and one draw control.

Racking Up the Points: Just one Stag now has a double digit point streak after Saturday's win over Niagara. Junior Alex Fehmel had four goals and an assist and has now tallied at least one point in 38 straight contests. The midfielder leads the team with 50 points off 37 goals and 13 assists.

Controlling the Draw: Senior Colleen Reynolds has done an outstanding job all season long collecting draw controls. The midfielder has racked up 53, just one shy for the most in a single season in Fairfield history.

Looking Ahead: If the Stags are able to beat Canisius, they will move on to the MAAC Championship game on Sunday, May 8^th at noon to face the winner of the Marist/Monmouth semifinal matchup.