After Canisius managed to get on the scoreboard first in the 16th minute, four first-half goals from the Stags put the contest out of reach.

The Griffs goal came when sophomore forward Brittany Krause chipped a through ball to senior forward Brianna Smith up the left side. Smith's shot beat Stags' keeper Kathleen Early to the far post.

The goal was Smith's 8th on the season and 37th of her career, giving her sole possession of second on the Griffs' all-time goal scoring list.

Fairfield didn't allow the Griffs to maintain the lead for long, as the Stags managed to score both the game tying and go-ahead goals in the 21st minute. The first came when Michelle Kowalski headed in a corner kick.

The Stags then took the lead for good when Ashley Small scored the first of her two goals on the day on a pass from Nikki Stanton. Small would later go on to score the game's final goal in the 83rd minute.

Fairfield midfielder Brenna Brown then notched two goals to close out the first half, scoring in the 31st minute after a pair of quick touches from Pam Coufos and Shannon Fay. Brown scored again in the 44th minute with Emma Pichl recording the helper.

The Stags then struck again in the 79th minute when Erin Pettersen scored off a long through ball from defender Sarah Frassetto allowed a breakaway for Petterson.

Griffs' senior goalkeeper Megan Tock was responsible for the four first-half goals. Tock finished with two saves. Junior goalkeeper Brigid St. Leger, seeing action for the second time this season, played the final 45 minutes and recorded three saves.

The loss drops Canisius to 1-6-0 in MAAC play.

Canisius will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 16, when it makes its final road trip of the regular season to Loudonville, N.Y. to take on Siena. The Saints are 3-1-1 in conference play this season. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.