NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara lacrosse team was defeated by the Canisius Golden Griffins 13-2 on Wednesday night at Niagara Field. It was also the final regular season home game for seven members of the Purple Eagles, who were recognized on Senior Night prior to the game.

Despite the loss, Niagara clinched a fourth-place finish in the MAAC at 5-3 (9-8 overall), the best finish in four seasons under head coach Wendy Stone. At fourth place, the Purple Eagles secured a home postseason game in the first round of the MAAC Championship. Niagara will host the Fairfield Stags, who finished fifth in the conference, on Saturday, April 30 at 12:00 p.m.
 
"Today we put together a great defensive effort against a very potent offense," Stone said. "However, we did not handle the ball well enough to compete. The effort was there tonight, but the execution was not. We look forward to hosting Fairfield on Saturday in the first round of the MAAC Championship."
 
Before the contest began, Niagara honored its seven graduating players for Senior Night. Captains Jaclyn Schreiber, Danielle Maio, and Elizabeth Benedict were recognized along with Sarah Arndt, Allie Bush, Gabby Gleason, and Molly Gray.
 
Caroline Crump and Alexis Morales scored the Niagara goals, while Sarah Arndt and Molly Gray tallied assists. Andrea Francisco made 10 saves in the cage, her third game of the season with double-digit saves.
 
Canisius (11-5, 8-0 MAAC) opened the game with two goals from Tessa Chad, but Niagara responded at the 22:14 mark to make it a 2-1 game. Working the ball around the perimeter, Arndt fed an open Crump just to the side of the net, and the freshman buried her team-best 31st goal of the season.
 
Through 19 minutes of the game, Niagara held the MAAC's leading scoring offense to just those two early goals. The Golden Griffins broke through late in the period, however. Erica Evans scored three times in a five-goal Canisius run in the final 10:49 before halftime, sending Canisius to a 7-1 lead after 30 minutes of play.
 
Canisius held the Niagara offense in check for the early part of the second period, scoring six times to take a 13-1 lead with 8:52 to play. The Purple Eagles broke through at the 6:40 mark, as for the second time in the game, a senior fed a freshman for a goal. Gray found Morales cutting through the Golden Griffins' defense, and the rookie midfielder tallied her 23rd of the season.
 
By finishing 5-3 in the MAAC, Niagara earned the most conference wins in a season in program history after earning a 4-2 conference record in 2000, 2001, and 2003. The nine wins are also one shy of the best single-season win total in program history, as Niagara finished the 2003 season at 10-6.
 
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