BUFFALO, N.Y. – In Wednesday night's regular-season finale, the Niagara women's lacrosse team squared off against the Canisius Golden Griffins in the annual Battle of the Bridge matchup. Niagara pulled within one goal to trail just 9-8 one minute past halftime, but a seven-goal run by the Golden Griffins led to a 18-9 final score at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
Rachel MacCheyne scored her fourth goal of the contest 48 seconds into the second half. The tally was her 53rd goal and 67th point of the season, and she now holds the single-season program record in both categories. MacCheyne broke Mary Cutia's 17-year-old record of 52 goals in a season and Sandra Gallegos' 14-year-old record of 66 points in one season.
 
For the second-straight season, Niagara finishes the MAAC regular-season schedule in fourth place with a record of 5-3 in conference play. The Purple Eagles will play host to the fifth-seeded Monmouth Hawks in the first round of the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship on Saturday, April 29. Opening draw from Niagara Field is set for 1 p.m.
 
Game Summary

• Final Score: Canisius 18, Niagara 9
• Offensive Leaders: Rachel MacCheyne (4G), Mackenzie Molodetz (2G)
• Defensive Leaders: Alexandra Higgins (2 GB, 7 DC, 2 CT), Kara Martin (2 GB, 2 DC, 3 CT), Shea Swartwout (2 GB)
• In Goal: Andrea Francisco (8-9) – 15 GA, 11 SV; Olivia Schroeder – 3 GA, 2 SV
• Records: Niagara – 8-9 (5-3 MAAC); Canisius – 13-4 (8-0 MAAC)
• Attendance: 325

 
Game Recap

• Canisius started off the game with a pair of goals from Jourdan Roemer to open up a 2-0 lead, but Niagara got on the board at the 22:51 mark with a free-position tally from Mackenzie Molodetz.
• Rachel MacCheyne scored her 50th goal of the season with 16:51 left in the first half during a 3-1 run for the Golden Griffins, with a free-position tally from Canisius' Allie Stewart putting the home team ahead 5-2 with 11:35 left in the half.
• Niagara's offense broke out over the final 10 minutes before halftime, scoring three goals from Shea Swartwout, Caroline Crump, and MacCheyne in a span of 1:10 to tie the game, and MacCheyne capped her hat trick at the 6:47 mark to give Niagara its first lead of the contest at 6-5.
• After the Purple Eagles' four-goal run, Canisius countered with a four-goal run of their own before Audrey Fithall buried a feed from Grace Hunt to make it a 9-7 game at the half.
• 48 seconds past halftime, MacCheyne put Niagara back within one goal of the Golden Griffins with her record-setting 53rd goal of the season.
• Niagara would not score again until Molodetz converted on her second free-position chance of the game with 7:50 left in regulation. Canisius went on a 7-0 run over 20 minutes, and Molodetz's goal made it a 16-9 deficit for the Purple Eagles.
• Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Schroeder made two saves late in her first game action as a Purple Eagle, but Canisius scored two more goals in the closing minutes to take the 18-9 win.

 
Coach's Corner

• Head coach Wendy Stone: "We are really proud of the effort the team put forth today against a very good and experienced team. We battled today and look forward to taking the field on Saturday against Monmouth in the MAAC tournament."

 
Inside the Numbers

• Rachel MacCheyne set the Niagara single-season program records with 53 goals and 67 points after her four-goal performance on Wednesday. Mary Cutia previously held the goals record with 52 in the 2000 season, while Sandra Gallegos racked up 66 points in 2003.
• MacCheyne scored four or more goals in eight of Niagara's 17 regular-season games. The sophomore from Webster, N.Y. entered Wednesday's game third in the NCAA with 8.12 shots per game, and finished the contest at Canisius with eight shots, seven of which she put on goal.
• Alexandra Higgins continued her record-setting defensive season with a game-high seven draw controls to go with two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Her 53 ground balls, 102 draw controls, and 34 caused turnovers are the most in a single season in Niagara history.
• Mackenzie Molodetz registered her first career two-goal game, finishing with two points for the second time this season after registering one goal and one assist at Michigan on April 4.
• Andrea Francisco made 11 saves on 26 shots on goal, giving her a career-high 163 saves through the regular season. She needs seven more saves to pass Tammy Araynosi (1997) for the sixth-most saves in a season in program history.
• Niagara and Canisius entered the game ranked first and second in the MAAC, respectively, in draw controls per game. The Purple Eagles held the advantage in Wednesday's matchup, 17-12.

 
Up Next

• With the regular season concluded, Niagara looks ahead to the 2017 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship, the third straight season the Purple Eagles have advanced to postseason competition.
• Fourth-seeded Niagara will host fifth-seeded Monmouth at 1 p.m. at Niagara Field.

 
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