FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Brynn Donnelly hauled in a program-record 13 draw controls to keep Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse on the attack in a 13-7 win over Sacred Heart on Wednesday afternoon on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. Grace Slater paced the Stags' offense with five points on the day, including the 100th of her career.
 
With the win, Fairfield improves to 8-7 overall and 6-1 in the MAAC. The Stags can clinch at least a share of the MAAC Regular Season Championship on Saturday with a victory at Marist. Fairfield would lock up the top seed in the MAAC postseason with a win coupled with a Mount St. Mary's loss to Merrimack.
 
Sacred Heart slips to 6-8 on the campaign with a 4-3 MAAC record.
 
"Obviously, it all started with the draw. In a game that was closer than the final score might indicate, those extra possessions meant everything," said Head Coach Laura Field. "Brynn was outstanding, but the entire draw team did their part and also the scout draw team in practice had them well prepared for Sacred Heart today."
 
Donnelly's 13 draw controls are one better than the prior mark of 12 set by Nicollette LaVista and later matched by Donnelly last season. In today's game, Kit Zanelli added four draw controls and Haley Burns won a pair as the Stags dominated the restart by a 19-5 margin.
 
After today's effort, Donnelly upped her season total to 111 draw controls. She is third on the single-season ledger behind her own 117 last season and Erin Mammele's record of 123 draws in 2012. Donnelly is the only Stag to surpass 100 draw controls in two different campaigns.
 
For Slater, her four goals and one assist run her career total to 101 points. She has tallied a team-leading 52 points this season comprised 33 goals and 19 assists.
 
Slater netted a hat trick in the first quarter, in addition to Burns scoring her 17th goal of the season, as Fairfield led 4-2 after the opening period. The Pioneers answered with the first two markers of the second frame to knot the game at 4-4. However, Maggie Araneo's second of back-to-back scores at the 9:14 was Sacred Heart's last goal for a span of over 19 minutes.
 
The Stags added two more in the second quarter courtesy of Brooke Marotti and Mary Henry – both assisted by Tessa Caputo – to take a 6-4 lead into the locker room. Out of the break, Slater added her fourth off another Caputo dime followed by a Kelly Haggerty goal to run the advantage to 8-4. Sacred Heart ended its drought with two goals in a 57 second span to close the gap before Fairfield responded with a Kozak goal assisted by Burns to push the score to 9-6 entering the final frame.
 
Fairfield continued its run into the fourth quarter, scoring five straight to take the largest lead of the day at 13-6. Meanwhile, the defense clamped down and put together another Sacred Heart scoring drought – this time totaling 18:34 of clock time – before the Pioneers scored with 38.7 seconds remaining to round out the final tally at 13-7.
 
In addition to Slater's four goals, Kozak, Henry and Haggerty pitched in two apiece and Burns added one. Tessa Caputo was the game's top facilitator with four assists, followed by two for Kozak and one each by Slater, Henry and Burns.
 
On the opposite end of the field, Keira Furey made seven saves to earn the win in the cage. The unit in front of Furey was led by Delaney Brimhall with three caused turnovers along with Macey Daly's four ground balls and a two caused turnover, two grounder showing by Grace Kiernan.
 
Maggie Araneo led Sacred Heart with two goals and two assists. Taylor Farace also scored twice for the Pioneers. Lisa Martin made 13 saves defending the visiting cage.

"We need to play better. We had too many turnovers and this could have been a very different game if some early opportunities went the other way," added Field. "But this was a good win over a good Sacred Heart team that I think we could see again in a week or two."
 
Fairfield will wrap up the regular season this Saturday, April 19 at Marist. The Red Foxes are 3-13 overall and 2-5 in the MAAC after a 14-5 loss today at Niagara. They will enter the final day of the regular season in contention for the eighth and final MAAC playoff berth.