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After winning five of its last six games, the Purple Eagles lacrosse team hosts the Iona Gaels Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m. Niagara is returning home after a two-game road trip that ended with a come-from-behind 10-9 victory over the Marist Red Foxes.
 
Last Time Out

• Niagara rebounded after its first conference loss with a thrilling 10-9 comeback win at Marist.
• After a quick 3-0 start, Niagara never trailed in the first period and held a 6-5 lead at halftime.
• Despite an early goal from Caroline Crump after halftime, the Red Foxes tallied four unanswered goals to take a 9-7 lead midway through the second period, their first lead of the game.
• Crump proved to be dominant once again as she began the comeback trail for the Purple Eagles, scoring her 20th goal of the season at the 18:34 mark.
• Niagara completed their comeback after receiving a pair of goals in the last 10 minutes.
• Sarah Arndt scored her 11th goal of the season to tie the game at 9-9, then Taylor Wolf set up Rachel MacCheyne with 5:24 to play to give the Purple Eagles the decisive 10-9 lead.
• Four Purple Eagles tallied two points: Arndt and Crump each scored twice, while Samantha Brill and Wolf each finished with one goal and one assist.
• Andrea Francisco made a season-high 17 saves in net, including a stop on a Marist free position shot in the closing minutes, to push Niagara to victory.

 
Niagara Notes

• Francisco's 17 saves were a career-best mark. Her previous game-high in saves was 12, which she most recently matched on Feb. 23 in an overtime loss at Colgate.
• The 17 saves by Francisco were also the most by any MAAC goalkeeper in a game this season.
• The Purple Eagles have maintained their rank at the top of the MAAC in ground balls per game, with their average of 20.64 ground balls per game putting them at seventh in the NCAA.
• Niagara ranks second in the MAAC in both caused turnovers per game (8.55) and goals against per game (10.09).
• Alexis Morales, who ranks third on Niagara with 16 goals as a freshman, is one of three players in the conference with three game-winning goals.
• As a team, Niagara ranks fifth in the MAAC with 11.36 draw controls per game. Alexandra Higgins is fourth among MAAC players and 27th in the NCAA with 3.91 draw controls per game, while Danielle Maio is eighth in the conference averaging 3.09 per game.
• Andrea Francisco ranks third among MAAC goalkeepers with a goals-against average of 10.25, and the junior is fifth in the conference with 2.64 ground balls per game.

 
Scouting the Gaels (5-6, 0-2 MAAC)

• Iona enters Saturday's contest without a MAAC win, having lost their first matchup against Marist 18-10 on March 26 and falling 9-7 to Fairfield on April 6.
• The Gaels have a strong 3-1 record at home, but are just 2-5 on the road.
• Ranked second in the MAAC in scoring offense (11 goals per game), Iona leads the conference with 5.82 assists per game and 16.82 total points per game.
• The Gaels are led offensively by two of the top five scorers in the conference. Mary Kate McCormick is first with 52 points (19+33) while Erin Pugh ranks fourth with 44 points (35+9).
• With 33 assists, McCormick ranks third in the country in that category, while Pugh's 35 goals are second-best in the MAAC and 12th in the NCAA.

 
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