Wednesday –
Live Stats /
Live VideoSunday –
Live Stats /
Live VideoNIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women's lacrosse team plays at home for the final two times of the season this week as it welcomes Canisius on Wednesday, Apr. 23 and Quinnipiac on Sunday, Apr. 27. The Canisius contest begins at 7 p.m., with the Quinnipiac game starting at noon. Both games will be contested at Niagara Field with Senior Day presentation taking place prior to the start of Sunday's game.
DON'T MISS OUT ON THE ACTION• Live stats and a free live video streak for Wednesday's and Sunday's game can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's lacrosse schedule at
www.purpleeagles.com or by clicking on the links above.
SAYONARA, SENIORS• The senior class of
Paige Matecki,
Kayla Smith,
Moira Foley and
Paige Sasser will play in its final regular season game at Niagara Field on Sunday, Apr. 27.
• The three field players have combined for 39 goals, 20 assists and 59 points in 77 games played. Goaltender
Paige Sasser will leave NU ranked seventh on Niagara's single-season saves list after making 152 stops last year, and will be in the top-10 of Niagara's career saves list. The netminder currently sits in eighth with 171 saves, 13 saves behind
Erin Bradley ('00) for seventh place.
PURPLE EAGLE TIDBITS• Niagara is back at Niagara Field with a 6-8 overall record, and are 2-4 in league action after dropping its most recent outing at Manhattan on Apr. 19.
• Niagara have a eight of athletes scoring in double-digits, but its
Carrie-Jo Farrugia who is tops on the team in points (46) as the junior has netted 33 goals and added 13 assists.
Maria Battista is close behind with 25 goals, while
Erin Patenaude (17 goals, 10 assists) and
Danielle Maio (10 goals, 9 assists) are third and fourth, respectively, on the stat sheet.
•
Kara Martin and
Elizabeth Benedict are tops the team with a combined 47 groundballs, and
Kayla Smith and Martin leads the way in caused turnovers with 10 each.
• Freshman
Andrea Francisco has been the go-to goalie for the Purple Eagles, making 76 saves for a 13.36 goals against average and a .358 save percentage.
TEAM STATS• The Purple Eagles have scored in double figures eight of 14 games this season, and twice have scored 17-plus goals in a game. The team's best offensive output came in the win over St. Bonaventure (March 20) where the team pocketed season-highs in goals (18) and assists (10). The last time NU put together an 18-plus goal effort was on March 8, 2009 when the Purple and White handed Howard a 23-5 beating.
• The team is averaging 10.93 goals per game which is fourth-best in the conference while attempting 24.6 shots per game (third). Niagara also have 49 assists this season.
• Defensively, Niagara is ranked seventh in the conference in goals allowed per game (13.64) with the opposition taking 26.6 shots per contest.
• The Purple Eagles have picked up 254 ground balls and caused 107 turnovers.
LAST TIME OUT• The Purple Eagles dropped their final road contest of the regular season, falling to Manhattan by a score of, 15-11 on Apr. 19 at Gaelic Park.
• The squad was led by
Carrie-Jo Farrugia (three goals, two assists), while
Erin Patenaude,
Kayla Smith and
Brittany Delano each found the back of the net twice.
•
Andrea Francisco picked up the loss as the freshman picked up eight saves before
Amanda Yavorek played the remaining 7:42.
OFFENSIVE FURY•
Carrie-Jo Farrugia hit 100 career points in the victory over Siena on Apr. 16, and cracked into the top-10 on Niagara's Career Points list after contributing five points in the loss at Manhattan on Apr. 19. Her 105 points now puts her in eighth place, one point behind Allison Coomey ('02) for seventh place.
• Overall the Jordan-Elbridge, N.Y. native has 65 goals and 40 assists in 44 career games. Her 65 goals and five short of tying Ashley Baker ('05) for the 10th spot on Niagara's Career Goals list, while her 40 helpers places her in fourth place on Niagara's Career Assists list. Fifteen more assists will allow her to share third place with Ashley Grosso ('03) and Baker.
• The junior has pocketed a total of 33 goals and 46 points, both career-highs, while her 13 assists are four shy of tying her career-best of 17 achieved her sophomore season. The 33 goals scored in 14 games thus far puts her in ninth place on Niagara's Single Season Goals list, tying her with Lauren O'Connor ('96).
SEASON BESTS• Six Purple Eagles have recorded career-high numbers this season, including
Brittany Delano (13-4-17),
Kayla Smith (14-3-17) and
Jaclyn Schreiber (4-1-5) who have pocketed career-bests in goals, assists and points.
• Other career-bests include:
Name Goals Assists Points Maria Battista 25 -- 28
Kayla Smith 14 3 17
Carrie-Jo Farrugia 33 -- 46
Brittany Delano 13 4 17
Danielle Maio — 9 —
Jaclyn Schreiber 4 1 5
Kristen Winter 4 -- --
Jordan Turpin 1 -- 1
TAKING A LOOK AT CANISIUS• The Golden Griffins' will play its final regular season game against NU, coming to Monteagle Ridge riding a four-game winning streak. Canisius stands at a 9-5 overall, and is 5-1 in conference play recently dropping Monmouth, 16-9.
• Maria Kotas leads the squad with 62 points and 43 goals this season. Tori Quinn ranks second on the Griffins with 59 points and 39 goals, while Taylor Giglio is third in goals (32), assists (16) and points (48).
• Kotas is tops on Canisius in groundballs picked up (43). Kotas and Ashley Bull lead the draw control race with 56 and 48 wins, respectively.
• Kayla Scully has appeared in 14 games in goal for Canisius, posting a 10.70 goals against average and a .458 save percentage.
ALL-TIME VS. THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS• The Purple Eagles will be meeting up with the Griffins for the 20th time in a series that dates back to 1998. Niagara holds a slim 10-9 advantage over its cross-town rival, but Canisius has won the last nine meetings.
• Last season, the Griffs dropped the Purple and White by a 14-4 score at Niagara Field. Niagara's four goals came from
Paige Matecki,
Danielle Maio,
Kristen Winter and
Emily Fleetwood. Starting goaltender
Paige Sasser made 10 saves in the game.
TAKING A LOOK AT QUINNIPIAC• The Bobcats head into the weekend's action with a 2-12 overall record and a 2-5 MAAC mark. Quinnipiac's most recent outing ended in defeat, as the Siena Saints dropped the Bobcats, 15-11.
• The Bobcats' points leader is Kyra Ochwat, who has 55 points on 39 goals and 16 assists thus far on the season. Kelly Babstock and Kearney Sneath are second and third on the squad with 20 points each.
• Phoebe Laplante has scooped a team-high 25 groundballs, and has caused 25 opponent turnovers.
• Samantha Tilts has compiled a 14.47 goals against average to go along with a .421 save percentage on the season.
ALL-TIME VS. BOBCATS• This will be the third meeting between Niagara and Quinnipiac, and first as MAAC foes. The Bobcats won the first two meetings in the all-time series. The first meeting came on March 19, 2000 where QU handed Niagara a 12-9 loss, while the second battle came two seasons later on March 9 which ended in a 13-7 loss for the Purple and White.
HOME SWEET HOME• Heading into the final week of home play, Niagara holds a 4-3 record on home turf.
• With the 9-8 victory over Siena on Apr. 16, the Purple and White tied the program record of four home victories which is also held by the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 squads.
FINDING NET• The 14-4 victory over Detroit this season was the second time in two seasons the Purple Eagles came out with a 10-goal win over their opponent. Last season NU secured a 16-6 win against LIU Brooklyn which was the largest margin of victory since earning a 23-5 win over Howard in 2009.
