Five Things to Know: Women’s Lacrosse Closes Out Regular Season at Fairfield

Game No. 15
Canisius (10-4, 5-2 MAAC) at Fairfield (9-6, 4-3 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, April 23
Time: noon
Location: Fairfield, Conn. | Rafferty Stadium
Video Broadcast: ESPN+
Live Stats: Via StatBroadcast.com
Twitter: @CanisiusWLax | #Griffs | #MAACLax
Instagram: @CanisiusWLax | #Griffs | #MAACLax

Five Things to Know:

1. At the Draw
The Canisius women's lacrosse team closes out the regular season Saturday with a visit to Fairfield, Conn., to face off against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Fairfield. Opening draw is set for noon and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Golden Griffins are coming off an 11-10 overtime victory over Marist, while the Stags welcome the Griffs following a 14-6 home win versus Manhattan on Wednesday.

2. Familiar Foes
Saturday's contest with the Stags marks the 30th meeting between the teams in program history. The Griffs have posted a 12-17 record in the all-time series, including a 6-2 record in postseason matchups.

Canisius and Fairfield have split their last ten meetings, with the Stags posting a 12-9 victory in the most recent contest between the teams on March 27, 2021. Senior Katie Smolensky and sophomore Riley Davis led the Griffs with three points each, while junior Paige Stachura notched a goal in the defeat.

3. Balanced Scoring Attack
Canisius has had a well-balanced scoring attack in the 2022 campaign as the Griffs have five different players with 20 or more goals.

Senior Skylar McArthur and Stachura lead Canisius with 41 and 40 tallies this season, respectively. Sophomore Caroline Netti has scored 31 of her own this year, while Smolensky has netted 25 and Davis has tallied 20. Senior Megan Hoffman is five goals away from recording the first 20-goal season of her career.

4. D-Fence
The Griffs' backline has also been stellar through 14 games, led by fifth-year Toni Malvaso, juniors Camryn Lucarelli and Emme Foote and sophomores Jill Galanti and Catherine Wall.

Galanti leads the Griffs' defense with 20 ground balls and 25 draw controls in the campaign. Lucarelli and Foote have 11 caused turnovers and 15 ground balls each this season, while Malvaso has collected 19 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Since stepping in for a sidelined Meghan Ellis, Wall has played well, picking up 10 ground balls and four draw controls as well as causing three turnovers.

5. Regular Season Title on the Line
With a win on Saturday at Rafferty Stadium, Canisius would clinch a share of the 2022 MAAC Regular Season title. It would give the program its sixth regular season title in program history and the first time since the 2018 season, when Canisius tied Marist, Monmouth and Fairfield for first in the conference.

The MAAC playoffs begin on April 30 and seeding will be determined following the conclusion of this weekend's contests.

In postseason play, Canisius is tied with Fairfield for the most MAAC Championships in league history with six.

For complete coverage of the Canisius women's lacrosse program, be sure to follow @CanisiusWLax on Instagram and Twitter.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#23 Riley Davis: M; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#35 Meghan Ellis: D; 5' 5"; Sophomore

#20 Emme Foote: D; 5' 8"; Junior

#29 Jill Galanti: D; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#2 Megan Hoffman: A; 5' 6"; Senior

#10 Camryn Lucarelli: D; 5' 4"; Junior

#21 Toni Malvaso: D; 5' 2"; Graduate Student

#18 Skylar McArthur: M; 5' 6"; Senior

#16 Caroline Netti: M/A; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#12 Katie Smolensky: A; 5' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#23 Riley Davis
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: M

#35 Meghan Ellis
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: D

#20 Emme Foote
: 5' 8"; Junior
: D

#29 Jill Galanti
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: D

#2 Megan Hoffman
: 5' 6"; Senior
: A

#10 Camryn Lucarelli
: 5' 4"; Junior
: D

#21 Toni Malvaso
: 5' 2"; Graduate Student
: D

#18 Skylar McArthur
: 5' 6"; Senior
: M

#16 Caroline Netti
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: M/A

#12 Katie Smolensky
: 5' 3"; Senior
: A