BURLINGTON, VT. – For the third time this season a member of the Fairfield University women's lacrosse team surpassed the 100-point plateau, one of many highlights as the Stags defeated Vermont, 14-8 on Saturday. With the win the Stags have now won three of their last four and claim their first road victory of 2023.
"We went into halftime a little flat after a UVM run and it wasn't a massive adjustment but rather a recommitment to our game plan and fundamentals," said Head Coach Laura Field. "We needed to adjust to handle heavy defensive pressure and I'm really proud of the leadership of Olivia Doody in calming tempo and in our veteran defense and Casey Collins for holding down their offense in key moments."
Elizabeth Talluto paced the Stags scoring a career-high six goals on the afternoon to surpass the century mark for points in her collegiate career. Libby Rowe registered five points off of a hat trick and two assists, followed by Doody and Ellie Grefenstette with two apiece and Rylee Harrell tacking on a single score.
A record setting performance on the defensive end saw Rylee Harrell collect 11 draw controls which ties the program's single game record, and matched the total by the entire Catamount team as the Stags outdrew Vermont 15-11. Fairfield also collected 18 ground balls on the day led by four from Haley Burns, a new career-high to lead a group of nine players to nab at least one. Julia Rigolizzo posted a team-best three turnovers out of 16 forced by the Stags' back third, one of nine players to forced one in the game. In the cage, Collins played the full time and made nine saves across the afternoon.
"Rylee had a great game for us in a few different ways than her normal performances. She was outstanding defensively with take a ways and pushing transition and her stats on the draw speak for themselves," said Head Coach Laura Field. "E managed to not only grab her 100th point but also to set the tempo for the fast start and the second half surge. She's a crafty player and I'm really proud to have watched her join her teammates in the 100-point club."
The Fairfield offense came out of the gates running with three goals in the opening five minutes to take an early lead, including two straight by Grefenstette. Rowe would tack on the third followed by Talluto at the 6:45 mark to give the visitors a 4-0 lead, before back-to-back scores by the Catamounts gave the Stags a two-goal lead after 15 minutes of play.
Vermont would strike first in the second stanza to cut the Fairfield lead to one in the early going, which was answered by Doody who scored with the offense up a player to reestablish a two score cushion. Rowe would net two straight to compete a hat trick for herself and extend the lead back to four, before the Catamounts notched three straight to send the teams into the locker room separated by just a single score.
Out of halftime it took just 58 seconds for Fairfield to get back a goal, the first of two straight by Talluto to open the frame. Vermont would add one back but a goal by Doody off a feed from Maggie Fort gave the Stags a 10-7 advantage just before the end of the quarter to give her side a little extra breathing room heading into the fourth.
Another score in the opening minute saw Talluto find the back of the net 40 seconds into the final quarter, a period that saw the Stags net four straight. That stretch included two more from Talluto to double-up Vermont at 14-7, followed by a single score with 13 seconds left by the Catamounts to set the final tally. After allowing a single goal at the 9:09 mark, the Fairfield defense stood tall and held the home side off the board for 23:56 before they scored their final goal late in the contest.
"The energy shift into the second half was in large part powered by a really vocal bench and it was a huge positive for us," said Coach Field. "UVM was a really physical team with a super potent offense, and they are very well coached. We had our hands full handing that level of pressure, but it will only serve us well headed into arguably one of our toughest games in Drexel."
Fairfield women's lacrosse is back in action next Saturday, Mar. 11 when they head down to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on Drexel. Opening draw in the Quaker State is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
