OPENING FACEOFF
Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse returns to Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium to host crosstown Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Opening faceoff is slated for 4 p.m. with J.J. Duke on the call for the Stags Sports Network live on YouTube.
Admission is free for all fans to all February home games.
LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield got off to a hot start on Saturday afternoon at Brown, and the Stags' defense made the early lead stand up in an 11-5 road victory.
Owen Hirsch anchored the defensive effort with 13 saves, and 10 different Stags contributed a point to the win.
Hirsch's 13 saves are the second-most of his collegiate career and his .722 save percentage marks his best-ever in a 60-minute outing.
The defense in front of Hirsch was led by
Julian Radossich, who scooped up five ground balls with one caused turnover.
Nate Livingston also picked up a pair of ground balls, and Hirsch himself vacated the cage to scoop a pair of grounders.
Offensively,
Keegan Lynch finished with three points – one goal and two assists – while
Devin Lampron and
Luke Okupski each netted two goals to pace the balanced offense.
The Stags stayed on the attack courtesy of
Dylan Smith at the faceoff X, where the graduate student went 10-for-16 with six ground balls.
I LOVE LAMPRON
After scoring two goals in Saturday's win,
Devin Lampron has been selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week. Lampron's two goals came during a 6-1 start to the game with the Stags building a lead that they would not relinquish. The rookie's pair of goals included the first man-up marker of his young career.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SACRED HEART
Last season's win for the Pioneers on their home field moved the all-time series to 5-3 in favor of the Stags. Fairfield has won four of five meetings since the series was revived in 2019 after a 14-year layoff.
STAG TURNED PIO
Sacred Heart Head Coach Jon Basti is a member of the Fairfield Class of 1999. Basti was a part of Fairfield's 1996 and 1997 MAAC Championship teams and also served as an assistant coach with the Stags for three seasons, including the 2005 Great Western Lacrosse League Championship squad that advanced to the NCAA postseason.
STARTING STRONG
Fairfield Men's Lacrosse is 2-0 for the first time since defeating Stony Brook and Merrimack to begin the 2020 campaign. The Stags have not begun the spring at 3-0 since 2012, when Fairfield ran off seven straight wins en route to a 12-4 final mark.
ON THE BALLOT
The Stags are unranked but receiving votes in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Fairfield has not earned a national ranking since being ranked #20 by the coaches in the preseason edition of the 2017 USILA ledger.
DEFENSE DOES IT
Fairfield's defense currently ranks second in the nation with just 6.00 goals allowed per game. The Stags conceded just seven goals to reigning Patriot League Champion Lehigh on Feb. 7 and then stifled Brown to the tune of only five goals allowed in last Saturday's 11-5 victory in Providence.
UP NEXT
The Stags continue their three-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 22 with a 3:30 p.m. visit from Manhattan. Admission is free for all fans to all Fairfield Men's Lacrosse home games in the month of February.
