GRIFFS TRAVEL TO NIAGARA FOR BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE CONTEST
•The Canisius College women's lacrosse team will travel to Lewiston, N.Y. tomorrow Apr. 27 at 7 p.m. to take on Battle of the Bridge rival Niagara.
•The Griffs enter the week with an 10-5 overall record, winning their last eight games, outscoring their opponents 123-47 during the streak.
•The Blue and Gold head into the matchup with a 4-4 away record, while looking to go undefeated in the MAAC for the second straight season, third in the last four years.
•In a 16-3 win over Iona on Saturday, the Griffs clinched the MAAC Regular Season Championship for the second consecutive year.
•The Griffs are led offensively by sophomore Erica Evans who has recorded 53 goals and 14 assists, while Niagara is led by Caroline Crump, who has recorded 30 goals and 14 assists.
•The Purple eagles are 5-2 in conference play, while going 4-1 at home.
CANISIUS - NIAGARA SERIES HISTORY
•The Golden Griffins have the all-time edge over Niagara 14-7, with the Blue and Gold winning 11 straight.
•The Griffs cruised to victory in last year's matchup 16-8.
GOLDEN GRIFFINS DEFEAT IONA FOR REGULAR SEASON CROWN
•The Canisius women's lacrosse team continued its winning ways Saturday afternoon against Iona, defeating the Gaels 16-3, to become the 2016 MAAC Regular Season Champions, clinching the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Tournament.
•Sophomore Erica Evans led the team with six goals, while senior Taylor Giglio added three with an assist. Sophomore Lauren Smolensky netted two with two assists, along with freshmen Tessa Chad and Jourdan Roemer who netted three and two respectively. Roemer added four assists to her impressive day (a new career high), tying Evans for most points on the day at six (also a career high).
•Sophomore goalkeeper Rebecca VanLaeken recorded her second highest save total of the season (11), while moving her overall record to 10-4 on the year.
EVANS CLOSING IN ON REGULAR SEASON GOAL RECORD
•Evans reached the 50 goal mark in the win against Iona, the seventh time the feat has been accomplished at Canisius.
•In the 16-3 win, Evans scored her 53rd goal of the season, tying her for the fourth most goals scored in a season by a Griff with Whitney Card and Chelsea Martinez.
•The sophomore is six goals away from tying Morgan Leanord's mark set in 2013.
•The midfielder has now scored five or more times in seven games this year.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE SWEEPS MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
•The MAAC this week announced three Canisius women's lacrosse players as recipients of weekly awards, sweeping the awards for the week. Sophomore Lauren Smolenky has been named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore Erica Evans has been selected as MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman Jourdan Roemer has been named MAAC Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.
•Smolensy was an offensive factor in both wins for the Griffs this week, guiding the team to its second consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship. The sophomore recorded two goals and five assists in teams 17-6 win over Marist on Wednesday, posting career highs in both assists and points. She was a large factor in the team's 7-0 run to begin the game against Marist, assisting on three of the seven goals.
•Evans came up big in the Golden Griffins win over Marist on Wednesday afternoon, recording six goals and two assists, including four of the team's first seven in an opening 7-0 run. In the Griffs 16-3 win over Iona on Saturday, Evans passed the 50 goal mark for the season (seventh time in Canisius history) and is now tied for fourth most goals in a season by a Griff, at 53. She once again scored six goals, while leading the team defensively with three draw controls, three caused turnovers and four ground balls.
•Roemer set career highs in both assists and points in the 16-3 win over Iona on Saturday, scoring the team's first goal of the day, while adding a second goal and assisting on four before the end of the first half. In the victory, Roemer recorded her 30th point of the season
