Sunday, March 26 at Iona: Watch on ESPN3 | Live Stats
Tuesday, March 28 at Rutgers: Watch on BTN2Go | Live Stats

The Niagara Purple Eagles women's lacrosse team embarks on a two-game road trip, starting Sunday, March 26 with the team's first conference game of the 2017 season at Iona. The Purple Eagles and Gaels face off at 1 p.m. in the MAAC opener for both teams. Iona will be broadcasting Sunday's contest live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
 
Niagara then heads to Rutgers University to face off with the Scarlet Knights of the Big Ten. Opening draw for the first all-time matchup between Niagara and Rutgers is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28. This is the first of two matchups against Big Ten competition for the Purple Eagles this season, who head to Ann Arbor to take on the University of Michigan on April 4.

Last Time Out

• The Purple Eagles took on the Binghamton Bearcats at Niagara Field on Wednesday, falling just short in a back-and-forth contest that ended in an 11-10 loss.
• Binghamton came out with the early momentum on offense and claimed a 5-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game. Niagara was able to shut out Binghamton for the next 28 minutes of the game, coming all the way back to tie it at 5-5 early in the second period.
• Rachel MacCheyne scored Niagara's first two goals of the contest in the first period, and she also set up Jillian Ford with 1:32 left in the first to make it a 5-3 game at the half. MacCheyne then opened the second-period scoring 2:21 past halftime before Alexis Morales tied the game 54 seconds later.
• Niagara and Binghamton battled back and forth as the score stood at 10-10 with 4:34 to play. A three-goal Niagara run with tallies from Samantha Brill, Ford, and MacCheyne put the Purple Eagles up 9-7 with 13:39 to play.
• Binghamton then went on a three-goal run of its own before Morales made it 10-10. In the closing two minutes, the Bearcats found the game-winning goal from Tiffany Ryan to hand Niagara the 11-10 loss.
• MacCheyne led the way offensively for Niagara with four goals and one assist, her third five-point game of the season. Ford had a tremendous all-around game with two goals, three draw controls, three caused turnovers, and one ground ball.
• Andrea Francisco made seven saves against 18 shots on goal in the loss.

 
On the Field: Niagara Purple Eagles (3-4)

• Niagara heads into conference play on Sunday currently tied for third in the MAAC at 3-4 overall.
• The Purple Eagles rank third in the MAAC in scoring offense (11.57 goals for per game) and second in the conference in scoring defense (11.00 goals against per game).
• On offense, sophomores Rachel MacCheyne (22 goals) and Alexis Morales (20 goals) rank fourth and sixth in the MAAC, respectively, in goal scoring this season. MacCheyne also leads the MAAC with 8.71 shots per game, while Morales is second in the conference at 7.43.
• Grace Hunt ranks third in the MAAC and 17th nationally with 18 assists, with her assists-per-game average of 2.57 leading the MAAC and ranking ninth in the NCAA.
• Niagara scores more goals off of assists than any other team in the MAAC, averaging six assists per game as a team.
• Defensively, Niagara leads the MAAC with 11.86 caused turnovers per game and ranks third with 19.86 ground balls per game.
• Niagara has three of the MAAC's top 10 leaders in ground balls per game: Kara Martin (sixth, 2.71), Andrea Francisco (eighth, 2.57) and Alexandra Higgins (ninth, 2.43).
• Midfielder Jillian Ford is second in the MAAC with 1.86 caused turnovers per game. She is joined in the conference top 10 for caused turnovers per game by Higgins (fifth, 1.71), Martin (sixth, 1.57) and Amy McNally (T-seventh, 1.50).
• The Purple Eagles also lead the MAAC with an average of 14.71 draw controls per game. Higgins leads the conference 6.14 draw controls per game, good for eighth in the NCAA, while Ford is sixth in the MAAC with 3.0 draw controls per game.
• In goal, Andrea Francisco is second in the MAAC in goals-against average at 10.97, and she is sixth in the conference with a save percentage of .445 and 8.14 saves per game.

 
On the Field: Iona Gaels (3-6)

• Heading into conference play, the Iona Gaels have opened the regular season with wins over Wagner, Central Connecticut State, and Sacred Heart.
• Iona holds the 9-3 edge in the all-time series against Niagara, including an 8-6 win at Niagara Field last season. The Purple Eagles did win their last road game against Iona, securing a 10-7 victory in New Rochelle on March 28, 2015.
• The Gaels are fourth in the MAAC in scoring defense (11.67 goals against per game). They also rank second with 20.44 ground balls per game and third with 10.22 caused turnovers per game.
• Pamela Giordano leads Iona with 22 goals and 24 points this season, while Grace Celona has a team-high 11 assists.
• Iona midfielder Erin Pugh ranks in the MAAC's top 10 in ground balls per game (eighth, 2.56), draw controls per game (fifth, 3.11), and caused turnovers per game (sixth, 1.56), leading the Gaels in all three categories.
• In goal, Shannon McCaffrey is 2-4 with a 12.63 goals-against average and .431 save percentage.

 
On the Field: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-4, 1-1 Big Ten)

• Niagara and Rutgers face off for the first time on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m.
• Of Rutgers' five wins to start the season, two have come against MAAC opponents. The Scarlet Knights took down Monmouth 12-11 on Feb. 18 before securing a 15-5 win over Manhattan on March 15.
• Rutgers is coming off of a commanding 15-5 win over Ohio State, its first conference win of the season.
• Kristina Dunphey leads the Scarlet Knights with 26 points (17+9). Dunphey also leads Rutgers with 11 caused turnovers on the season.
• Nicole Kopyta has a team-high 18 goals and Amanda Turturro leads the team with 11 assists.
• Alana Navaroli has 35 draw controls to lead Rutgers.
• In goal, Bianca Dente is 6-4 with a goals-against average of 10.83 and a save percentage of .472. She made nine saves on 14 shots on goal in Friday's win over Ohio State.

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