Live Stats 
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women's lacrosse team opens its 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule this upcoming weekend when it travels to face Fairfield on Saturday, March 29.  The contest against the Stags is set for noon.
 
How to Catch the Game
•  Live stats for this weekend's game can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate link above, or by visiting the Official Website of Niagara Athletics, www.PurpleEagles.com.
 
Purple Eagle Tidbits
•  Niagara is coming off a loss to Albany on Monday, dropping the Purple Eagles to a 3-4 record on the season. 
•  The Purple Eagles are led by Carrie-Jo Farrugia's 29 points (14 goals; seven assists), followed by Erin Patenaude's 18 points (10 goals; eight assists).  Elizabeth Benedict has picked up 16 ground balls, while Gabby Gleason leads the team in caused turnovers (6).   
•  Kayla Smith leads the draw control race with 30 wins, while Paige Matecki (21) and Danielle Maio (20) are close behind. 
•  Andrea Francisco has played the majority of time in goal and has a .325 save percentage and a 14.67 goals against average. 
 
Last Time Out
•  Niagara was defeated by non-conference opponent Albany, 19-9, on Monday, March 24.  The Purple Eagles received two goals from Taylor Wolf and three points from Carrie-Jo Farrugia (one goal; two assists).  Senior goalie Paige Sasser and freshman Amanda Yavorek split time in net for NU, with Sasser making six saves in the loss.
•  The Great Danes scored 11 of the first 14 goals to take an 11-3 lead heading into the break.  The second half was more evenly matched, but Albany's five-goal run in the first half of the frame put the game out of reach for the Purple Eagles.
•  Kayla Smith led the team with six draw controls and also forced two Great Dane turnovers.  Overall, Albany garnered a 19-to-12 advantage in groundballs, as well as a 32-to-16 advantage in shots.  Niagara won a total of 15 draw controls compared to Albany's 13. 

About Fairfield
•  The Stags are coming off a 14-10 win over Sacred Heart on Wednesday, March 26 to push their overall record to 5-3.
•  Overall, Melanie Raso leads the team with 23 total points on 21 goals and two assists, followed by Jamie Leone's 13 points (six goals, seven assists) and Colleen Reynolds' nine goals and two helpers.
•  Goalie Chelsey Sidaras has accumulated a 6.88 goals against average and a .466 save percentage in the cage for the Stags. 
 
All-Time Against Fairfield
•  Saturday's game will be the 18th time the two sides face each other, as the Stags own a commanding 18-0 all-time series lead.
•  Last time the squads met was on April 6, 2013 with Fairfield handing the Purple Eagles an 18-7 loss.  Carrie-Jo Farrugia led the NU attack with three goals and an assist.  Paige Sasser made 12 saves on the afternoon.
•  For the game, Fairfield outshot Niagara 36-23 and also held leads in draw controls 16-10, ground balls 14-13 and caused turnovers 6-4.  Individually, Danielle Maio won three draw controls, and picked up four ground balls. 
 
Farrugia Steps Up
•  Carrie-Jo Farrugia had the best game of her career on March 20 against St. Bonaventure, collecting a career-high seven points in the 18-13 victory off a season-high four goals and three assists.  Her performance earned her MAAC Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Simply Offensive
•  The Purple Eagles' put together their best offensive showing to date with season-highs in goals (18) and assists (10) in the win over St. Bonaventure last week.
•  Niagara leads the conference in goals per game (12.17), assists per game (4.17) and points per game (16.33).  The Purple Eagles' 27.00 shots per game also lead the MAAC.  
•  Farrugia's 2.17 goals per game is sixth in the league, while her 3.00 points per game is tied for fifth with Canisius' Maria Kotas.  Erin Patenaude is third in the MAAC with 1.17 assists per game.
 
PINK OUT!
•   Following this weekend's games, Niagara returns home to host Detroit on Wednesday, April 2 at 3 p.m. in the team's final non-conference game of the year. 
•   The team will hold its Pink Out game during their tilt against the Titans.  There will be t-shirts for purchase along with raffles and giveaways with all proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Admission to the women's lacrosse game will be free, though donations will be accepted.