FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Taylor Mitchell scored the game-tying goal with 1:45 remaining to send Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse to overtime with visiting Quinnipiac, then buried the game-winner in the extra session as the Stags earned a pivotal 11-10 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. Fairfield held Quinnipiac scoreless for the final 20:05 of action to surge to the win.
With the win, Fairfield improves to 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Bobcats, who have lost their last three games by a total of four goals, fall to 5-8 on the year with a 1-4 MAAC record.
After entering the half tied at 7-7, Quinnipiac rattled off the first three markers after the intermission to take a 10-7 lead with 18:45 to go. However, the Bobcats would not score again as
Paulina DiFatta made one of her five saves during the stretch while the defense forced five turnovers to facilitate a Fairfield comeback.
Offensively,
Olivia Russell scored the first goal of the run followed by an unassisted tally from
Kathleen Hulseman to cut the margin to 10-9 with 12:12 to play. After a long drought both ways, it was Mitchell netting the equalizer on a Hulseman pass with 1:45 remaining to knot the score at 10-10. DiFatta then made a kick save in the closing seconds to send the contest to overtime and, after Hulseman forced a turnover in the extra session, Mitchell buried the free-position shot that sent the Stags to the 11-10 victory.
Mitchell totaled four goals in the contest, matching her career high established this February against Columbia.
Brooke Gallagher added a pair of markers, with Hulseman, Russell,
Brenna Connolly,
Jillian Winwood and
Kelly Horning all adding single tallies. Russell's goal was her team-leading 27th of the season. Also doing their part to set up the attack, Connolly and Hulseman each distributed two assists.
With her pair of helpers, Connolly moves into sole possession of second place on Fairfield's all-time assists list with 61. She is 10 shy of the 71 doled out by Kristen Coleman '11 in her landmark career. Connolly's team-best 22 assists this spring rank sixth on the single-season list as she continues to chase Coleman's program-record 27 assists distributed in 2009.
In the midfield,
Erin Mammele continued to re-write her section of the Fairfield record books with four draw controls. She has now tied her own single-season record of 86 – established last spring – and extends her program record to 180. The junior also owns the single-game draw control mark after coming down with 11 draws in back-to-back outings against Columbia and Hofstra earlier this year.
In today's action, Winwood aided the effort with three draw controls while
Maggie Reynolds pulled down two.
Eleven of Quinnipiac's 19 turnovers were of the caused variety with Hulseman, Mammele,
Megan Beach and
Erin Bauman each recording two. Fairfield held an 18-11 advantage in ground balls as Horning and Hulseman each collected four in the Stags' midfield.
Quinnipiac was led by five goals from Allison Kuhn, while Fairfield limited the Bobcats' leading scorer – Ashley Bobinski – to just a pair of assists. Kyle Larkin made 12 stops in the cage, including eight in the second half.
Fairfield wraps up the home slate on Saturday, April 14 with a 3 p.m. visit from Marist. The Stags will celebrate Senior Day prior to opening draw with the Red Foxes. Marist is 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the MAAC following a 13-12 loss at Canisius this afternoon.
Saturday is also the annual Fairfield Lacrosse Military Appreciation Day doubleheader. An exclusive 2018 Fairfield Lacrosse Military Appreciation t-shirts will be on sale for $10 each (cash only). All proceeds will be donated to veterans support services and organizations. Fairfield Men's Lacrosse will host Drexel at noon to begin the day of action. Tickets for the men's game are on sale now at
FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
In recognition of their service, all veterans, active duty military, and emergency services personnel will receive free admission.
