Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse takes to Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium for the first time in 2022 when Wagner comes to town on Saturday, Feb. 19. J.J. Duke will be on the call for the first-ever meeting between the Stags and Seahawks at 1 p.m. on the Stags Sports Network and simulcast on the Lax Sports Network.
- Tickets – Tickets are on sale at fairfieldstags.com/tix and at the Rafferty Stadium ticket office on gameday.
- Parking – Parking is available in the Kelley Center parking garage and all non-residential lots on campus. The Rafferty Stadium/Walsh Athletic Center parking lot is not open to the public on gameday.
- FREE Student Tickets – Admission is free for current Fairfield University students by presenting a valid StagCard
LAST TIME OUT
A goal with 25.2 seconds left was the difference maker last Saturday afternoon at LaValle Stadium as host Stony Brook edged visiting Fairfield by a 13-12 final.
Bryce Ford had a career day to pace the offense with six goals and two assists.
Taylor Strough added a hat trick on the day, including the marker that knotted the game at 12-12 with 1:31 left to play.
Jack McKenna chipped in with two goals as a starting attackman in his collegiate debut, and
Mike Drake netted a goal and two assists in his first game as a Stag after transferring from Notre Dame.
Rounding out the scoring, the trio of
Max Paparozzi,
Jon Wheat and
Kyle Borda each distributed one assist.
On the defensive end,
Braden Lynch finished the day with nine ground balls, the most by a non-faceoff man since Matt Borda collected nine in a win over Villanova during the 2015 win.
Zack Antoniou recorded four caused turnovers and Wheat had three caused turnovers and two ground balls to go along with his first career assist.
Colin Consoli resumed his post in the Fairfield cage and made 14 saves with five ground balls.
At the X,
Frankie Labetti went 14-of-22 with five ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers, leading the Stags to a 16-13 advantage on faceoffs.
Dylan Smith added a pair of wins on the dot.
THE WAGNER COLLEGE SEAHAWKS
Wagner opens its 2022 campaign after a 1-9 showing in the spring of 2021. The Seahawks' lone win was an 11-9 victory at Sacred Heart.
Among the returners is Wagner's second-leading scorer from last season in Stephen Dwyer, who netted 14 goals and five assists.
FIRST TIME FOES
Wagner is one of two first-time opponents on the Stags' 2022 ledger. The March 12 trip to Binghamton will also be a first-time meeting for Fairfield.
WELCOME BACK BRYCE
Bryce Ford returned to the Fairfield lineup last Saturday against Stony Brook and had a career day with six goals and eight total points. Ford, who missed all of 2021 due to injury, was playing his first game since March 10, 2020 and playing his first game as an attackman at the collegiate level after earning College Crosse All-Freshman First Team laurels as a rookie midfielder in 2020.
For his performance, he was named the CAA co-Player of the Week.
BRADEN THE BALLHAWK
Braden Lynch got the start as a close defenseman in the season opener and scooped up a career-high nine ground balls. The effort was the most by a non-faceoff man since Matt Borda picked up nine in the win over Villanova on March 21, 2015. In addition, nine ground balls is tied for the most in the nation by a non-FOGO or goalkeeper this season.
IN THE BEGINNING
Including Saturday's one-goal loss at Stony Brook, the Stags are 16-14 in season openers. The first game of the spring has not always been an accurate indicator of the season that lies ahead. In the 14 varsity seasons in which the Stags finished above .500, the club has started eight of them at 1-0 and six of them at 0-1.
UP NEXT
The Stags are back on the road next Saturday, Feb. 26 for a trip to Villanova. The Wildcats are 1-0 on the season following a 13-12 win at Penn State and will visit Yale this Saturday before hosting the Stags in their home opener.
