FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A 9-0 run over a span of more than 28 minutes proved decisive as Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse pulled away from Quinnipiac for a 13-10 win in Saturday's season opener on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. Diana DeVita, Ellie Grefenstette and Kelly Horning each recorded four points in the victory.
 
"We're happy with the result and the effort we put in today, but we need to play cleaner," said Head Coach Laura Field. "We didn't really know what we were going to be and how we going to be taking the field after almost a year since our last game."
 
For Grefenstette, her three goals, one assist and four points all marked career highs. DeVita matched that statline with a hat trick and one assist of her own, and Kelly Horning scored two goals and posted the first two-assist game of her career to round out her four points.
 
Three Stags made their collegiate debut on the offensive end and all notched their first points for Fairfield Women's Lacrosse. Brooke Lennon and Arianna Levelle each netted two goals with one assist, and Rylee Harrell scored her first career goal to go allowing with four ground balls and three draw controls.
 
Rounding out the scoring, Meaghan Graham doled out two assists and Maggie Reynolds distributed her third career assist as a defender. Reynolds filled out her stat sheet with three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
 
Horning also did her part to control the action in the midfield, collecting six ground balls to crack Fairfield all-time top 10 with 129 grounders in her career. Horning also posted three caused turnovers and two draw controls.
 
Nicollette LaVista did the honors on the draw for the Stags, leading a solid team effort to win possession with a career-high nine draw controls. As a unit, Fairfield held a 14-10 advantage on the restart.
 
A platoon of goalkeepers protected the Fairfield cage, led by Olivia Conquest's nine saves compared to six goals allowed in the first half. Phoebe Proctor made her debut in the second stanza and came away with two saves. Each goalkeeper also collected one ground ball.
 
The Stags' 9-0 run began at a crucial juncture in the first half, as the Bobcats had just reeled off a 4-0 spurt of their own to take a 6-4 lead with 4:14 to go in the frame. Grefenstette's third goal of the half ended the visitors' run, and Lennon buried her first career goal with just 7.3 seconds to play in the frame – erasing the slim deficit and sending the in-state MAAC foes into the intermission tied at 6-6.
 
The momentum from Fairfield's late push carried into the second half, as the Stags scored the frame's first seven markers – two for DeVita, two for Horning, and one apiece by Harrell, Lennon and Lavelle – to build a comfortbale 13-6 cushion with 12:42 to play.
 
More than five minute would elapse before Quinnipiac ended its scoring drought at 28:06 of scoreless lacrosse. The Bobcats added three more late tallies, but the margin proved insurmountable as Fairfield earned the victory by a 13-10 final count.
 
"It was exciting to be back out there, and hopefully we've shaken off some of the rust that led to turnovers and mistakes today," added Field. "We know Quinnipiac is a strong team that will make smart adjustments for Monday's game, so we need to do the same as we regroup and prepare for Monday."
 
Monday's series finale - which will also count in the MAAC standings – will be played back on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium at 3 p.m.