2016 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Home Page

Live Stream on MAAC.TV | Live Stats

For a second-straight season and fifth time in program history, the Niagara lacrosse team has secured a berth in the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship. After finishing fourth in the conference at 5-3 (9-8 overall), the Purple Eagles' postseason push begins Saturday, April 30, as Niagara faces the Fairfield Stags. Opening draw between Niagara and Fairfield is set for 12 p.m.

Tickets for Saturday's game will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. The first 100 Niagara students to get to the game will receive free admission. The game can be watched on MAAC.TV. Todd Callen and Meghan Portka will be calling the game live from Niagara Field, and Courtney Corbetta will be reporting from the sidelines.
  
A Look Back: Niagara 9, Fairfield 7 (April 23)

• Niagara came back from a 7-5 halftime deficit at Fairfield last Saturday, shutting out the Stags in the final 30 minutes to claim a 9-7 victory.
• Taylor Wolf led Niagara scorers with two goals and one assist, with all three of her points coming in a three-goal run to give Niagara the lead for good 9:09 into the second period.
• Alexis Morales scored two goals, including her MAAC-leading fourth game-winner of the season.
• Danielle Maio made a tremendous impact at the defensive end, earning two ground balls and two draw controls while causing a team-high four turnovers.
• Andrea Francisco made six saves on 13 shots on goal, including four saves after halftime.

Regular Season in Review

• In the 2016 regular season, Niagara won five games in conference play for the first time in program history. The Purple Eagles earned a 4-2 MAAC record in 2000, 2001, and 2003.
• With nine wins on the season, Niagara is one win shy of tying the program record for wins in a season (10 in 2003).
• After a five-game road trip to start the season resulted in a 1-4 start, the Purple Eagles went 8-4 over the final 12 games of the season.
• Of Niagara's eight losses this year, two came in overtime in the first two games of the season: a 6-5 overtime loss at Binghamton on February 20, and a 12-11 overtime loss at Colgate on February 23.
• Niagara's 10-9 win at Marist on April 5 was the team's first victory over the Red Foxes since April 12, 2003.
• The Purple Eagles picked up their first win in program history against Fairfield with a 9-7 victory back on April 23.

Defense First

• The Purple Eagles' success begins on defense, where they lead the MAAC in caused turnovers (9.65 per game) and ground balls (19.88 per game) while ranking second in scoring defense with 9.88 goals against per contest.
• Six Niagara players finished the regular season with 20 or more ground balls, while nine Purple Eagles registered 10 or more caused turnovers.
• Niagara is led defensively by seniors Elizabeth Benedict (37 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers) and Danielle Maio (28 ground balls, 46 draw controls, 20 caused turnovers) as well as junior Kara Martin (28 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers).
• Junior goalkeeper Andrea Francisco started all 17 games in the cage, setting career highs in goals-against average (9.97) and save percentage (.410) in 2016.
• Francisco also posted the most saves in a game by any MAAC goalkeeper this season with 17 as Niagara defeated Marist 10-9 on April 5.

 
Impact Freshmen

• Niagara also received tremendous contributions from a strong freshman class this season.
• Caroline Crump led Niagara with 31 goals, 14 assists, and 45 points. She is the first freshman to lead the team in total points since 2006.
• In addition to Crump, fellow freshmen Alexis Morales (23+1) and Hailey D'Hont (8+7) rank fourth and fifth in team scoring with 24 and 15 points, respectively.
• Midfielder Rachel MacCheyne contributed in many areas for Niagara, scoring nine goals and three assists while chipping in 12 ground balls, 19 draw controls, and seven caused turnovers.
• Bailey Collins started 16 of 17 games at defense, finishing with 19 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers.

Matchup Comparison
 

CATEGORY	Niagara	Fairfield
Overall Record	9-7	8-8
MAAC Record	5-3	4-4
Record (Last 5 Games)	3-2	3-2
Goals For Per Game	8.82	10.56
Goals Against Per Game	9.88	10.06
Points Per Game	12.59	14.44
Ground Balls Per Game	19.88	15.5
Draw Controls Per Game	11.06	12.31
Caused Turnovers Per Game	9.65	6.88
Save Percentage	.406	.404
Goal Leaders	Crump (31), Morales (23), Wolf (22)	Hellstein (35), Fehmel (33), Mascera (32)
Assist Leaders	Crump (14), Arndt (11), Wolf (10)	Quinn (14), Fehmel (12), Mascera (10)
Point Leaders	Crump (45), Wolf (32), Arndt (29)	Fehmel (45), Hellstein/Mascera (42)
Ground Ball Leaders	Francisco (43), Benedict (37), Maio/Martin (28)	Fehmel (33), Laible (28), Sidaras (26)
Draw Control Leaders	Higgins (63), Maio (46), MacCheyne (19)	Reynolds (52), Hellstein (47), Fehmel (21)
Caused Turnover Leaders	Maio (20), Benedict (19), Martin (13)	Fehmel (18), Reynolds (16), Laible/Sulliman (14)
Goals-Against Average Leader	Francisco (9.97)	Sidaras (10.19)
Save Percentage Leader	Francisco (.410)	Sidaras (.398)

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.