SETTING THE TABLE
Fairfield University women's lacrosse returns to action this Tuesday when they make the trip to the Mile-High City to take on No. 9 Denver. Opening draw between the Stags and the Pioneers is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST from Peter Barton Stadium in Denver, Colo.
HISTORY VS DENVER
After facing off once in the 1999 season, the two sides have faced each other three times dating back to 2016, and Tuesday will mark the third time Fairfield and Denver have gone head-to-head in the last four years. Denver earned the win in all four previous meetings, and have been the beneficiaries of an important home-field advantage at historic Peter Barton Stadium, as this will be the Stags' fourth trip to the Mile-High City in the all-time history of the series, with the Pioneers making their only trip to Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium back in 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
It was the Olivia Doody show in Pennsylvania Wednesday night as the junior attack shined in her home state, collecting a game-high eight points to help the Fairfield University women's lacrosse team take down Lafayette, 20-12.
Doody's eight points came via four goals and four assists, as she led both categories, while Ellie Grefenstette was able to match Doody's scoring output scoring four times as well and dishing out a pair of helpers. Four players scored hat trick's in the game for Fairfield, with Libby Rowe and Amanda Kozak providing the other two, scoring three goals apiece. Rowe also added a pair of assists to her totals as she continues to lead the team in goals (14), assists (9), and points (23).
Defensively, Julia Rigolizzo co-captain Caroline Mangan paced the ground ball totals with three apiece, followed by two each from Horning and Fort. In the center circle, Nicollette LaVista and Rylee Harrell collected five draw controls each, and Horning corralled three while also forcing a team-best five turnovers. In the cage, Casey Collins stepped up once again for Fairfield making 11 saves on the day, one away from tying her career-high.
SCOUTING THE STAGS
Fairfield enters Mile High at 4-2 on the year and are looking to build on an eight-goal win over Lafayette last week. With Denver ranked No. 9 in the country following the latest rankings Monday, the Pioneers are tied for the highest ranked opponent Fairfield women's lacrosse has ever faced, as the Stags took on Florida when they were ranked No, 9 in the nation back in 2011.
Libby Rowe paces the Stags offense with 14 goals on the year, and sits third on the team in total points with 23. Elizabeth Talluto sits one behind Rowe with 13 goals and 19 total points, followed by Rylee Harrell with 12 goals and a pair of Stags that have score 11 apiece.
On defense, Nicolette LaVista has corralled a team-high 33 draw controls, more than double the next best mark, that being 14 controls by Harrell. Co-Captain Kelly Horning leads the team with 14 ground balls on the year and also leads all active Division I players in ground balls for a career, and she has also caused the most turnovers of any Stag, forcing 14 thus far.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Denver has been riding high in Mile High, as the Pioneers enter Tuesday at 7-1 on the season having played five of their first eight games at home, and that number will move to six in nine contests when they take on the Stags. The only loss for Denver came on Mar. 9 in a 9-5 loss to the top-ranked team in the nation, Boston College in a game that was called after three quarters due to inclement weather.
On the year, Bea Behrins has scored 22 goals and seven assists for 29 total points to lead the Pioneers in all three categories, followed by Lauren Black with 17 goals and six helpers for 23 total points. Defensively Kailee Lammers has corralled a team high 30 ground balls, Abby Jenkins has collected 29 draw controls and Lammers sits tied with Ellie Curry for the lead in caused turnovers, forcing 13 each.
HORNING SETS PROGRAM RECORD FOR GROUND BALLS
With a ground ball in the first half of a Feb. 16 meeting with UConn, Kelly Horning collected the 170th ground ball of her career, passing Mary Tortora for the all-time record at Fairfield University.
PROCTOR NABS MAAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
It took just two weeks for a member of the Fairfield University women's lacrosse team to earn weekly honors from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), as goalkeeper Phoebe Proctor was named Defensive Player of the Week by the league Monday. The award for Proctor follows a two-match week that saw her play all 120 minutes in the cage, and picked up her second win of the season on the road last Saturday at Wagner.
STAGS EARN TOP SPOT IN MAAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
With less than two weeks before the season opener for Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced the results of the 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll, with the Stags tabbed to finish atop the conference standings once again.
The three-time defending MAAC champions, Fairfield took home 77 overall points in the poll, including six first-place nods, finishing just ahead of 2019 and 2021Â runner-up Siena with 75 points and the remaining three votes. Monmouth, Niagara, and Quinnipiac round out the top five, followed by Marist, Canisius, Manhattan, and Iona who make up No. 6 through No. 9 in the poll.
HORNING NAMED MAAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
In addition to the Coaches' poll, Kelly Horning was named the 2022 Preseason Player of the Year, after leading the team with 37 goals last season. Horning and Caroline Mangan were selected as Preseason All-MAAC.
Horning's preseason nod comes as she returns to the Stags for a fifth-year after garnering MAAC Midfielder of the Year honors following the 2021 regular season and has made the All-MAAC First-Team squad in each of the last two seasons.
Mangan was the 2021 MAAC Championship MVP after racking up eight caused turnover in the Stags' run to the title. She was also an All-MAAC Second Team honoree, compiling 18 caused turnovers and 14 ground balls while often charged with marking one of the opposition's top attackers.
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The 2022 schedule includes 16 dates overall, including seven games within the friendly confines of Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. The first half of the schedule features matchups from five different conferences before an eight-game MAAC slate as the Stags look to claim their fourth consecutive conference championship.
LOOKING AHEAD
Fairfield women's lacrosse is back in action Saturday when they return home to face a different Pioneers squad in cross-town foe Sacred Heart. Opening draw is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. as the latter game of a Stags' lacrosse doubleheader from Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium, with the men's lacrosse team hosting Providence earlier in the day at 1:00 p.m.
