FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the second consecutive Saturday, Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse will host Marist on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. This time around, the stakes are higher as a berth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Semifinals will be on the line. Opening draw in the quarterfinal clash between the top-seeded Stags and eighth-seeded Red Foxes is slated for noon on ESPN+ with J.J. Duke and Liz Robertshaw on the call.
 
Fairfield earned the top seed and home field advantage throughout the tournament with a 10-1 run to its third straight MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Stags are seeking their third consecutive MAAC postseason crown after taking home the hardware in 2018 and 2019.
 
Marist earned the eighth seed in the MAAC Championship and edged out Iona, 11-10, in a Friday play-in game at Rafferty Stadium on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals. In a season marred by a campus-wide pause that spanned more than a month, the Red Foxes are 3-4. Five of Marist's six regular season contests were against the top four teams in the MAAC standings, including a 17-9 loss to the Stags last Saturday.
 
"We are thrilled to have earned the top seed and to be playing at home, but that's really all that the seeding means this year," said Head Coach Laura Field. "This a tough, talented Marist team that knows how to compete and how to win, so we need to respect that and come out ready to play tomorrow."
 
Both the Stags and Red Foxes were well-represented on the All-MAAC Teams announced on Thursday by the conference office. Fairfield claimed two major awards as Kelly Horning was tabbed as Midfielder of the Year and Maggie Reynolds collected Defensive Player of the Year laurels. Horning and Reynolds were joined on the All-MAAC First Team by fifth-year attacker Meaghan Graham, while defender Caroline Mangan earned a place on the All-MAAC Second Team.
 
Marist was represented by attacker Samantha Mehalick and defender Romy Villemure on the All-MAAC First Team and goalkeeper Delaney Galvin – a former MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year – on the All-MAAC Second Team.