LAST TIME OUT
• The No. 5 North Carolina women's lacrosse team was in control from the opening draw, as the Tar Heels defeated Canisius, 22-3, at a neutral site contest in Syracuse, N.Y. • With the loss Canisius dropped to 8-7 while North Carolina improved to 11-3 overall.
 • North Carolina outscored the Griffs in the first half, 10-3, while the Tar Heels poured in 12 more in the final half and kept the Blue and Gold off the score sheet.
• Ela Hazar and Katie Hoeg led all scorers, combining for 13 points (six goals and seven assists). All-told 10 different members of UNC recorded at least one point the contest.
• Jourdan Roemer paced the Griffs on offense, accounting for all three Canisius markers. Jen Reininger also recorded a point, tallying an assist.
• Rebecca VanLaeken got the start in net and did her best to stand up to the UNC onslaught, as she made eight saves and allowed 15 goals. Ellen Newton relieved VanLaeken in the second half as she allowed seven goals and made three saves.
• The Tarheels played three goalkeepers with Elise Hennessey getting the start and earning the win, as she made one save and allowed three goals. Also seeing time was Taylor Moreno and Alex Halpin.
• UNC outshot the Griffs 43-12 and outdrew the Blue and Gold 15-11. The Tar Heels also tallied 17 ground balls and Canisius secured eight

A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER
• As we head into the final two games of the MAAC season, and teams jockey for seeding, Canisius has punched its ticket to the 2018 conference championship.
• With its win over Quinnipiac last Saturday, the Blue and Gold clinched a berth into the tourament for the 11th-straight season. 
• Canisius was the first team to have its ticket punched, as the squad currently sits atop the standings with Marist, with a 5-1 record. 
• If the Griffs and Red Foxes remain in positions one and two, with identical records, Canisius will clinch a regular season championship, holding the tiebreaker over Marist. 

SCOUTING CANISIUS
• The Golden Griffins continue their MAAC season on Saturday, as the team hosts Fairfield at the Demske Sports Complex. Game time is set for 11 a.m., and will be the team's senior day. 
• Canisius enters the game with a 8-7 overall record and a 5-1 conference mark. 
• Canisius has been led offensively by Jourdan Roemer, who comes into the contest with 67 points (43 goals and 24 assists). 
• Roemer's 67 points is ranked first in the conference, averaging 4.4 points per contest through 15 games. 
• Not far behind is Jen Reininger who has tallied 39 goals and eight assists for 48 points. 
• The Blue and Gold has also received goal scoring from Allie Stewart (21 goals) and two assists), Lauren Smolenksy (eight goals and 10 assists) and Bryar Cummings (14 goals and one assist) 
• Marissa Malvaso and Miranda Malvaso have continued to get stronger with each game, as the freshmen have been strong complimentary pieces in their first year.
• Marissa Malvaso has tallied 12 goals and two assists, while Miranda Malvaso has tallied three goals. 
• Rachel Ryan has also been moved into a more offensive role, as she now has four goals on the season. 
• Reininger, aside from goal scoring, has been all over the stat sheet, leading the team in ground balls with 53, draw controls with 81 and caused turnovers with 23.
• Reininger is ranked fourth in the nation in ground balls with a 4.00 average. 
• Rebecca VanLaeken has been one of the nation's best goaltenders, ranking first in the country in saves (178) and third in saves per game (11.87). 
• VanLaeken comes into the game with a 12.07 goals against average and a .500 save percentage. 

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD 
• The Stags come into the contest on the outside looking in at the top two spots in the MAAC, entering the weekend with a 4-2 MAAC mark to go along with an 8-6 overall record.
• The Stags kept in the race thanks to a 12-9 victory over Iona on Wednesday, as they now set their sights on No. 1 Canisius.
• Fairfield has just two blemishes on its MAAC record, falling to Monmouth earlier in the year, 14-11, and most recently to Marist, 11-10.
• Brenna Connolly leads the Stags with 54 points (26 gaols and 28 assists).
• Kathleen Husleman (36 points, 23 goals and 13 assists), and Olivia Russell (31 points, 23 goals and three assists) are also strong secondary pieces to the Fairfield offense.
• Erin Mammele leads the team from the draw circle with 94 draw controls, while Maggie Reynolds leads the team in caused turnovers, with 17. 
• Paulina DiFatta has recorded 29 ground balls to lead the Stags. 
• DiFatta has seen most of the time in the cage for Fairfield, having started all 14 games. 
• She enters the weekend with a 10.11 goals against average and a .507 save percentage. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. FAIRFIELD 
• Saturday will be the 27th meeting all-time between the Griffs and Stags, with Fairfield holding a 14-12 edge over the Blue and Gold. 
• Surprisingly the Stags have a decided edge when playing at the Demske Sports Complex, boasting a 7-2 mark in Buffalo, while the Griffs have gone 4-6 in Fairfield Conn., during the regular season.
• Where Canisius has really excelled is when it matters most, as the team is 6-1 against Fairfield in the MAAC tournament. 

VANLAEKEN HAVING A HISTORIC SEASON
• Goalie Rebecca VanLaeken is having a historic campaign, for the Blue and Gold, as she leads the nation in total saves (178) and is third in the country in saves per game with a 11.87 average. 
• With her eight saves against No. 5 North Carolina she has set the new program-best for saves in a season, with 178.
• She passed current Canisius head coach Allison Daley, who posted 174 back in 2008.
• VanLaeken has also surpassed the 500 saves plateau, boasting 515 for her four-year career, which ranks her second all-time. 
• Daley is the all-time career saves leader as she posted 662.