FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse hits the road for the final time in the 2023 regular season for a visit to CAA newcomer Stony Brook. Opening faceoff on Long Island is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
In a must-win game last Saturday afternoon on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium, Fairfield held visiting Monmouth, 15-14, to secure the pivotal league victory.
Max Paparozzi and
Bryce Ford each had five points on the attack, and
Davis Allen scored twice in the fourth quarter to complete his first career hat trick.
Paparozzi racked up his five points with a team-best four goals with an assist. Ford reached five with a hat trick and two helpers, extending his team-leading marks to 18 assists and 46 total points this season. Ford and Paparozzi each had a man-up goal to lead the Stags to a 2-for-3 showing with a man advantage.
The Stags' leader in goals is
Jack McKenna, who netted three to move his total to 29 and also dished his seventh assist of the year.
Allen, who returned from injury and scored a goal the prior week at Delaware, scored three today – Fairfield's first goal of the game and then the back-to-back fourth quarter markers that extended the lead to 15-12 with 3:23 to go.
Supplementing the Fairfield offense,
Jake Gilbert and
Will Consoli each scored a goal. Gilbert also dished out two assists, as did
Rob Moore to cap the scoring effort.
Will Snyder registered a 50 percent save percentage in the cage with 14 stops, including six in the fourth quarter. Snyder also made a save on all three of Monmouth's man-up chances in the final frame, as the Stags' defense kept the Hawks to a 1-for-6 clip on extra man opportunities.
THE STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY SEAWOLVES
After a 3-0 start to their first season of CAA play, Stony Brook dropped back-to-back games to league frontrunners Drexel and Delaware to drop to 3-2 in the conference as a part of a 6-6 overall mark.
Stony Brook ranks second in the CAA with 13.17 goals per game, led by 40 goals and 17 assists from one of the nation's top scorers in Dylan Pallonetti. Noah Armitage adds 22 goals and 14 assists for the Seawolves.
On the defensive end, Stony Brook is fourth in the CAA with 11.42 goals per game allowed. The Seawolves fortify their defense with the best man-down unit in the nation, ceding just seven EMO goals on 53 chances for the opposition. Christian Lowd has a team-best 24 caused turnovers with 45 ground balls. He has also chipped in offensively with two goals and two assists.
Goalkeeper Jamison MacLachlan owns an 11.35 goals-against average and a .513 save percentage with 140 saves and 133 goals allowed in his 703 minutes of action.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Fairfield and Stony Brook will meet as CAA rivals for the first time after 10 contests as non-league foes. The Seawolves' 13-12 win last season on a goal in the final 30 seconds pushed their advantage to 6-4 on the all-time ledger. All 10 games in the series has been decided by three goals or fewer.
The Stags are seeking their first win over Stony Brook on Long Island.
The series also includes a scheduled 2013 meeting that was canceled due to snow.
THEY'RE ALL PLAYOFF GAMES NOW
Fairfield does not have complete control of its own destiny for a berth in the CAA postseason, but nearly all scenarios that extend the campaign into May have Fairfield winning both of its remaining regular season games.
WILL SNYDER: TWO-TIME CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
For the second time in his inaugural campaign with the Stags,
Will Snyder has been named the CAA Rookie of the Week. Snyder made 14 saves in the Stags' win over league foe Monmouth last Saturday.
Six of Snyder's 14 stops against the Hawks came in the fourth quarter, as the Stags held off Monmouth to preserve the conference win. Snyder also made a save on all three of Monmouth's man-up possessions in the fourth frame. He supplemented his work in the cage with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Snyder was previously named CAA Rookie of the Week after the first two starts of his career – a decisive 17-5 home win over Sacred Heart and a 10-8 loss at Richmond in which he made 11 saves.
UP NEXT
The Stags will celebrate Senior Day at Rafferty Stadium next Saturday, April 29 prior to a noon faceoff with Hampton. The contest will be Fairfield's first ever against the CAA newcomer.
Tickets for the regular season finale are on sale now at
FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
