NIAGARA UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S LACROSSE
GAME 5	Saint Francis Red Flash (1-3, 0-0 NEC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (1-3, 0-0 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Sunday, March 1 | 2 PM
LOCATION	Niagara Field – Niagara Univ., NY
LIVE VIDEO	PurpleEagles.com
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
GAME 6	Niagara Purple Eagles at Binghamton Bearcats (0-1, 0-0 America East)
DATE | TIME	Tuesday, March 3 | 3 PM
LOCATION	Bearcats Sports Complex – Vestal, NY

The Niagara University women's lacrosse team returns to the field for two games in a three-day span. The Purple Eagles will welcome Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday before traveling to the Southern Tier for a Tuesday road match at Binghamton. 

Matchup Preview – Saint Francis (PA)

• The meeting against Saint Francis will be the ninth-ever matchup between the two schools, and the first since 2011. In the teams' last showdown, the Red Flash took the game by a 10-8 count.
• This will be the first time the Red Flash have faced a school from the MAAC since they played Niagara in 2011.
• Against current MAAC schools (aside from the Purple Eagles), Saint Francis is 0-31 all-time.
• All-time against the Red Flash, Niagara is 6-2.
• The head-to-head series dates back to 2002, when the Purple Eagles earned the first shutout victory in program history (18-0).
• Against current NEC schools, Niagara improved to 19-21 all-time with a home win over Merrimack on February 21.
• Niagara's six wins against the Red Flash are the most over any other opponent from the NEC.

 
Matchup Preview – Binghamton

• These two schools have met every season since 2014, with Niagara posting a 2-4 mark in those six outings, including a 1-2 record in Vestal.
• Last season saw Niagara win on enemy turf, 11-9, on February 17.
• Binghamton (14) is second only to St. Bonaventure (19) in terms of games played versus Niagara by a non-MAAC opponent. That figure excludes Le Moyne (16), who was an affiliate member of the MAAC for women's lacrosse from 1999 until 2007, but is now a member of the Division II NE-10.
• Binghamton is the only current team in America East the Purple Eagles have ever defeated. In the 14 previous meetings with the Bearcats, Niagara holds a 6-8 mark coming into Tuesday's contest.

 
Niagara Notes

• In their last game, the Purple Eagles dropped a 16-6 decision at Marquette on February 23. Shea Swartwout netted four goals – three in the final nine minutes – to lead Niagara's offense.
• Michelle Messenger has come off the bench in each of Niagara's four games. In those four relief appearances, she has amassed the best save percentage (.596) and second-best goals-against average (9.96) in the MAAC. She also has a record of 1-0 on the year.
• Swartwout's 2.75 goals per game is tied for the fourth-best rate in the MAAC.

 
Milestone Watch

• Lauren Paul enters Sunday's game with 73 career caused turnovers, second-most in program history. She is currently 16 back of Alexandra Higgins ('18) for the most all-time (89).
• Paul also has 110 career ground balls, tied with Elizabeth Benedict ('16) for sixth all-time.
• Messenger now has 92 saves in Purple and White, 17 back shy of entering the program's all-time top-10 list.
• Maren Geiger (4), Aubrey DeVeau (2), and Messenger (2) each have excellent chances to move up the all-time wins list. Each already rank in the top 10 for the category, and would enter the top five by notching their seventh career victories.

 
Scouting the Red Flash

• Saint Francis enters the weekend 1-3, with their lone win coming against first-year program Akron on February 23.
• Emileigh Scott's 16 goals and 17 points on the year are both team highs.
• Elyssa Enrique's 13.77 goals-against average is the best of Saint Francis' two netminders.
• On the flipside, Lindsey Kilian boasts the better save percentage (.481).

 
Scouting the Bearcats

• A 9-7 win over Lafayette on February 26 gave the team its first win of the year following an 0-3 start.
• Paige Volkmann leads Binghamton in all three scoring categories (8 G, 3 A).
• Taylor Passuello has been the go-to-goalie for the Bearcats, playing all but 18 minutes through the team's first four games. She has accumulated a .405 save percentage and a goals-against average of 11.68.

 
 
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