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With an overall record of 5-4 following a win over MAAC opponent Quinnipiac, the Purple Eagles lacrosse team currently sits first in the conference standings. Niagara continues MAAC play on April 3 against the Monmouth Hawks, who are currently second in the MAAC, at West Long Branch. It is the first meeting between these two teams since the Hawks won 14-9 over Niagara in the first round of the 2015 MAAC Tournament.
 
Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
Last Time Out

• Niagara held its opponent to just six goals for the second consecutive game as the Purple Eagles opened MAAC competition with an 11-6 victory over the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
• Caroline Crump (3+1) and Hailey D'Hont (1+3) tied for the team lead with four points in the win.
• Danielle Maio recorded her first hat trick of the season, Alexis Morales tallied two goals, and Sarah Arndt and Rachel MacCheyne also scored for Niagara.
• Andrea Francisco made six saves on 12 shots for her fifth win of the season.
• Niagara used two three-goal runs to establish a commanding 6-2 lead by halftime.
• Quinnipiac scored twice in the first 2:19 of the second period, but Maio scored two goals separated by just 2:10 before MacCheyne's goal put Niagara ahead 9-4.
• Each team scored twice in the remaining 19 minutes, as D'Hont fed Morales for consecutive Niagara goals late.

 
Four in a Row

• The Purple Eagles currently boast the longest winning streak in the MAAC at four games, a streak that is tied with Bryant, Duke, and Stony Brook for the eighth-longest winning streak in the NCAA.
• During the winning streak, the Purple Eagles are allowing just 7.75 goals against per game, while scoring 11.5 goals per game.
• Niagara holds commanding advantages over its opponents in many major categories over the streak: goals scored (46 to 31), shots on goal (87 to 50), ground balls (99 to 72), draw controls (51 to 33), and caused turnovers (37 to 23).
• Crump leads the team in scoring with 13 points on nine goals and four assists during the streak, while Morales is second with nine goals and one assist.
• Alexandra Higgins has averaged 5.25 draw controls per game over the last four games, while Maio has collected 3.25 per game in that time.
• Elizabeth Benedict, D'Hont, Francisco, and Higgins each have nine ground balls in the last four games (2.25 per game) while Bailey Collins, Kara Martin, and Maio have each collected eight (2.00 per game).

 
D'Hont Wins MAAC Rookie of the Week

• On March 28, Hailey D'Hont was named the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Rookie of the Week, the second straight Rookie of the Week nod for the Purple Eagles.
• D'Hont led Niagara in scoring in both of the team's wins last week, as she recorded three goals and one assist at St. Bonaventure March 24 in addition to one goal and three assists versus Quinnipiac March 26.
• Crump was the other Niagara player to win MAAC Rookie of the Week, earning the award on March 21.

 
Niagara Notes

• Niagara is the MAAC leader in scoring defense, averaging 9.67 goals against per game in 2016.
• Niagara ranks as one of the nation's leaders in collecting ground balls, sitting fifth in the NCAA and first in the MAAC with 21.78 ground balls per game.  
• The Purple Eagles collected 30 ground balls at St. Bonaventure on March 24 and got 32 against Quinnipiac on March 26.
• Morales is tied with Monmouth's Michelle Gonzales for the MAAC lead with three game-winning goals.
• Higgins remains third in the MAAC (21st nationally) with 4.22 draw controls per game, while Maio ranks eighth in the conference, collecting 2.89 per game.
• Francisco leads the MAAC with a 9.83 goals-against average and ranks fourth in the conference with 2.67 ground balls per game.

 
Scouting the Hawks (5-5, 1-0 MAAC)

• Like Niagara, Monmouth also won its first game of MAAC competition, scoring three goals in the final 2:08 of the game to defeat Siena by a score of 16-15 on March 26.
• Goalkeeper Caroline Huelster leads the MAAC in total saves (103) and save percentage (.486), ranking seventh and 22nd nationally in those two statistics, respectively.
• Huelster's 11.17 goals-against average ranks fifth in the MAAC, and her 3.30 ground balls per game are second in the conference.
• Monmouth ranks fifth in the conference in scoring offense with 10.6 goals per game, but is second in assists per game with 4.9. Marial Pierce ranks second in the conference with 15 assists this season (1.67 per game).
• The Hawks lead the MAAC with a shooting percentage of .465.

 
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