NIAGARA UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S LACROSSE
GAME 1	Niagara Purple Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) at Boston Terriers (0-1, 0-0 Patriot)
DATE | TIME	Friday, Feb. 14 | 4 PM
LOCATION	Nickerson Field – Boston, MA
LIVE VIDEO	PLN
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
GAME 2	Niagara Purple Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) at Harvard Crimson (0-0, 0-0 Ivy)
DATE | TIME	Sunday, Feb. 16 | 12 PM
LOCATION	Jordan Field – Cambridge, MA
LIVE STATS	Stats (XML)

The Niagara University women's lacrosse team is set to open its 25th varsity season with two games in Massachusetts. The Purple Eagles will make their Bay State debut on Friday with a 4 p.m. draw against Boston University. On Sunday, the team will square off with Harvard at noon.
 
Matchup Previews

• Friday's opener marks the first meeting between Niagara and BU. Sunday's clash at Harvard is also the first time the two schools will play each other in women's lacrosse.
• Niagara has never played a game in the state of Massachusetts, and has played just two games against schools based in the state.
• The Purple Eagles are looking for their first-ever victory over an opponent from the Patriot and Ivy Leagues.

 
Niagara Notes

• The Purple Eagles have nine new faces on the roster and return 21 student-athletes from last season.
• Seniors Audrey Fithall, Shea Swartwout, and Lauren Paul were named the team's captains in November.
• Swartwout is the top returning scorer from 2019. As a junior, the midfielder finished third in points (33) and assists (12), and tied for third in goals (21). Swartwout also had 10 ground balls and three caused turnovers a season ago.
• Aubrey DeVeau, Maren Geiger, and Michelle Messenger all return to man the crease for the Purple Eagles this year. Geiger played in each of the team's 17 games as a freshman last season, posting a 12.92 goals-against average, a .445 save percentage, and four wins in 636:13.

 
Milestone Watch

• Paul enters this season with 70 career caused turnovers, tied for second-most in program history. She is currently 19 back of Alexandra Higgins ('18) for the most all-time (89).
• Paul also has 104 career ground balls, eighth-most of any Niagara player. She is two shy of Megan McNerney ('03), who sits in seventh place with 106 to her name.
• With 96 saves so far as a Purple Eagle, DeVeau is 13 away from cracking the program top-10 and matching Jen Cavaretta ('02) with 109.
• Geiger (4) and DeVeau (2) both have excellent chances to move up the all-time wins list. Both already rank in the top-10 for the category, and would enter the top-5 by notching their seventh career victories.

 
Scouting the Terriers

• BU opened its 2020 campaign on Wednesday with a 16-6 home loss to Boston College.
• Last season, the Terriers went 11-7 overall, and 6-3 in the Patriot League. Their season ended with a 14-13 loss to Colgate in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
• BU's leading scorer from 2019, Kailey Conry, is back as a senior. Her 80-point (25 G, 55 A) output last season paced all Terriers players, as did her total assists.
• The team added one goalkeeper to its arsenal during the offseason. Joining returners Bianca Smith and Kennady Smith is Arielle Hammer. Kennady played more than 70 percent of minutes in net (791:42) last year, and registered an 11.82 goals-against average along with a .400 save percentage.

 
Scouting the Crimson

• Harvard is coming off a 2019 season in which it went 6-9 overall and 1-6 in the Ivy League. Its 2020 season opener will be Sunday's game against the Purple Eagles.
• The top returning scorer for the Crimson is midfielder Grace Hulslander, who posted 39 points (29 G, 10 A) in 15 games last year. Hulslander won more draw controls than any other Harvard player last season (62).
• Goalkeepers Grace Rotondo and Hannah Valencia are back between the pipes for the Crimson. As a sophomore in 2019, Rotondo played the majority of minutes in net (874:50) and appeared in all 15 games, posting a 12.00 goals-against average and a .401 save percentage.

 
 
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