FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse gets back on the road to visit reigning CAA Champion Delaware on Saturday, April 8. Opening faceoff from Delaware Stadium in Newark is slated for noon.
LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield used a 6-1 run in the second half to climb back to within a goal of visiting Drexel at 12-11 with 8:08 to play last at Rafferty Stadium. But the Dragons netted three goals in the span of 60 seconds to pull away for a 15-11 win.
Jack McKenna and
Bryce Ford posted identical statlines with three goals and one assist apiece for the Stags.
In addition to the four-point days for McKenna and Ford, their fellow starting attackman
Max Paparozzi scored a goal with two assists.
In the midfield,
Will Consoli added a pair of fourth-quarter goals, with
Dean Ford and
Rob Moore each registering a goal and an assist. Rounding out the scoring,
Ryan Lancaster recorded an assist from the defensive midfield in transition.
The defense pressured Drexel into 20 turnovers, led by four caused turnovers for
Zack Antoniou.
Matt Rice added three caused turnovers and five ground balls with the short stick, and Consoli had two caused turnovers and three grounders on the ride.
Will Snyder made 12 saves in the cage.
STAGS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
With Delaware gaining the #20 spot in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the
Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week, Fairfield is challenging a nationally-ranked foe for the first time since meeting four ranked opponents during the 2021 season.
That statistic bears a minor asterisk, however, as Fairfield met six teams in 2022 that were ranked at some point during the campaign but not during the week that they played the Stags.
THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE BLUE HENS
Defending CAA Champion Delaware rolled to a 19-1 win over Hampton last Saturday to improve to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the CAA. The victory also moved the Blue Hens into the national rankings at #20 by both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse.
Delaware ranks eighth in the nation in scoring offense with 14.80 goals per game and fourth in scoring defense, conceding only 8.60 goals per contest. The attack is led by the top two scorers in the CAA in Tye Kurtz (38g, 19a) and JP Ward (21g, 30a). Kurtz is also second in the nation with 5.70 points per game, with Ward slotted third in the country in assists with 3.00 helpers per game.
Defensively, All-American Owen Grant leads that unit with 2.20 caused turnovers per game, good for sixth in the country. Goalkeeper Matt Kilkeary owns a league-best .549 save percentage.
Delaware finished last season at 13-6. The Blue Hens won the CAA regular season and tournament titles and upset #2 Georgetown to advance to the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals. Delaware's campaign ended in that round at the hands of #7 Cornell, the eventual National Runner-Up.
LAST MEETING
Visiting Delaware scored the only two goals of the fourth quarter to break a 12-12 deadlock with Fairfield and escape Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium with a 14-12 decision on the final day of 2022 regular season.
On the offensive end of the field,
Bryce Ford set the pace with a hat trick and an assist for four points.
Max Paparozzi added two goals and an assist and
Jack McKenna netted two goals.
Fairfield's first midfield unit of
Mike Drake,
Taylor Strough and
Kyle Borda all posted one goal and one assists, and a pair of defensive players rounded out the scoring as
Matt Rice and
Rory Thompson each put in a marker. Thompson's scoop and score on a loose ball in front of the cage was his first career tally.
Defensively, Strough, Borda and
Braden Lynch each had a pair of caused turnovers, and Lynch and Rice nabbed three ground balls apiece.
James Corasaniti made seven saves in the cage.
Delaware was bolstered by goalkeeper Matt Kilkeary's 19 saves, including all eight shots that he faced after the Stags scored the equalizer with 3:40 left in the third quarter. On attack for the Blue Hens, Tye Kurtz posted four goals and two assists with Mark Bieda and Mike Robinson each netting a hat trick.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Delaware holds an 8-5 lead in a series that dates back to 1995. The Stags' five wins over the Blue Hens came consecutively from 2009-17, but Delaware has since won the last five meetings.
UP NEXT
Fairfield Men's Lacrosse enters the back half of the CAA slate with the three league newcomers - Monmouth, Stony Brook and Hampton - still on the docket. First, the Stags host Monmouth at Rafferty Stadium on Saturday, April 15. Opening faceoff is set for 3:30 PM as the nightcap of a Fairfield Lacrosse doubleheader.
