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In the final game of the 2016 regular season, the Purple Eagles lacrosse team hosts a primetime game against the Canisius Golden Griffins for the annual Battle of the Bridge matchup. Opening draw at Niagara Field is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27.
 
Before the game, Niagara will hold a ceremony at approximately 6:45 p.m. for Senior Night to honor the seven graduating members of the Purple Eagles: Sarah Arndt, Elizabeth Benedict, Allie Bush, Gabby Gleason, Molly Gray, Danielle Maio, and Jaclyn Schreiber.
 
Last Time Out

• Niagara picked up its ninth win of the season on April 23 on the road against the Fairfield Stags.
• Trailing 7-5 at halftime, the Purple Eagles blanked the Stags in the second half on the way to a 9-7 victory.
• Taylor Wolf led the Purple Eagles in scoring with two goals and one assist, with all three of her points coming in a three-goal run to start the second half that gave Niagara the lead for good.
• Alexis Morales also scored twice, one of which was her fourth game-winning goal, tied for the best mark among all MAAC players.
• Sarah Arndt also scored twice, and Caroline Crump, Jillian Ford, and Rachel MacCheyne rounded out the goal scoring.
• Defensively, Andrea Francisco made six saves in the cage. Four of her saves came in Niagara's second-straight second half shutout. The Purple Eagles outscored Siena and Fairfield 12-0 after halftime in wins last week.
• Danielle Maio caused a team-high four turnovers in the win over Fairfield in addition to two ground balls and two draw controls. Elizabeth Benedict had three ground balls and one caused turnover, while Kara Martin collected two ground balls and caused two turnovers.

 
Postseason Picture

• Niagara has clinched a postseason berth in the 2016 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship.
• The other five spots have also been determined heading into the final regular season games on Wednesday, as Canisius, Marist, Monmouth, Iona, and Fairfield will also advance to the postseason.
• First-round games will be played on Saturday, April 30 at times to be determined. The third-place team will host the sixth-place team, and the fourth-place team will host the fifth-place team.
• As the first overall seed, Canisius will host the MAAC Semifinals and Final on May 6 and 8.
• With a win over Canisius Wednesday night, Niagara can finish second in the MAAC and earn a first-round bye with a Monmouth loss (at Iona) or with wins by both Monmouth and Marist (at Siena).
• Iona currently sits a full game behind Niagara with a 4-3 MAAC record. If the Gaels lose at home against Monmouth Wednesday night, Niagara can finish no lower than fourth, which guarantees either a first-round bye or a home playoff game in the first round.

 
Battle of the Bridge

• The Battle of the Bridge is the annual all-sports competition between Niagara University and Canisius College.
• Niagara picked up two points in the series over the weekend at the MAAC Golf Championships, as the Purple Eagles men finished seventh and the Golden Griffins finished eighth.
• On April 26, the Niagara and Canisius softball teams split the annual doubleheader, awarding one point to each school. The total score now stands at 20.5 to 7.5 in favor of Canisius.

 
Niagara Notes

• Niagara is one of the top teams in the country defensively, ranking 11th in the NCAA in ground balls per game (20.00) and 20th in caused turnovers per game (9.69).
• The Purple Eagles have allowed just 9.69 goals against per game this season, the second-best mark in the MAAC.
• In conference play, Niagara is giving up just 8.71 goals per game while scoring an average of 10.43 per game, amassing a 5-2 record in MAAC play.
• The second half has been a strong suit for the Purple Eagles in MAAC competition as they have outscored their opponents 35-23 in the closing 30 minutes.
• Freshman attacker Caroline Crump is holding her lead among MAAC rookies in points, now sitting at 44 points (30+14) in 16 games.
• She leads Niagara in goals, assists, and points. The last freshman to lead Niagara in total scoring was Erralyn Thomas in 2006, who finished with 30 points in 12 games.
• After earning five caused turnovers in two wins last week, senior midfielder Danielle Maio now ranks sixth in the MAAC with 1.27 caused turnovers per game.
• In addition to her 19 caused turnovers this season, Maio has accumulated 28 ground balls and 42 draw controls to go with eight goals and three assists at the offensive end.
• Goalkeeper Andrea Francisco ranks second in the MAAC in goals-against average (9.78), fourth in total saves (104), and fifth in saves per game (6.50).

 
Scouting the Golden Griffins (10-5, 7-0 MAAC)

• Canisius locked up the first-overall seed in the MAAC with a 16-3 win at Iona on April 23.
• The Golden Griffins (eight games) and the Purple Eagles (three games) boast the longest current winning streaks in the MAAC.
• Sophomore midfielder Erika Evans leads Canisius offensively with 67 points (53+14). She also leads the Griffs with 30 ground balls, 66 draw controls, and 24 caused turnovers this season.
• Senior Taylor Giglio follows Evans offensively with 53 points on 38 goals and 15 assists, while freshmen Tessa Chad (29+3) and Jourdan Roemer (17+15) each have 32 points.
• In the cage, Rebecca VanLaeken has an 8.31 goals-against average and .432 save percentage.

 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for lacrosse updates, follow @NiagaraWLAX. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook.com/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.