Five Things to Know: Women’s Lacrosse Faces Off with Fairfield in MAAC Opening Round

Game No. 16
No. 5 Canisius (10-5, 5-3 MAAC) at No. 4 Fairfield (10-6, 5-3 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 5 p.m.
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. Opening Round Draw
The fifth-seeded Canisius women's lacrosse team travels to Fairfield, Conn., on Saturday for a matchup with three-time defending champion, No. 4 Fairfield, in the Opening Round of the 2022 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship at Rafferty Stadium. Opening draw is slated for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and features a rematch of last Saturday's regular season finale between the Golden Griffins and Stags. Both Canisius and Fairfield compiled a 5-3 record in conference play during the regular season.

2. Series History
Saturday's game marks the 31st meeting between Canisius and Fairfield. The Stags lead the all-time series, 18-12, while the Griffs hold a 6-2 advantage in postseason matchups. In their last postseason meeting on May 5, 2018, Fairfield defeated Canisius by a score of 14-10 in the MAAC Championship game.

The Stags and Griffs both have six conference championships under their belts, with the two combining to win 11 out of the last 12 tournaments dating back to 2009.

3. All-MAAC Honors
Four Griffs received All-MAAC honors, the conference announced on Friday. Seniors Skylar McArthur and Katie Smolensky earned All-MAAC First Team honors, while junior Paige Stachura was an All-MAAC Second Team selection and freshman Sarah Kilburn was named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team. It was the first time Canisius has landed two First Team honorees since the 2018 campaign, when current assistant coach Jourdan Roemer and Jen Reininger were named to the All-MAAC First Team.

4. Canisius in the Postseason
The Griffs have had great success in the postseason, owning a 16-8 overall record in MAAC Tournament play. Canisius last took the crown in 2016 and 2017, when the Blue and Gold secured back-to-back titles. Prior to those Championships, Canisius won four-straight titles from 2011-14 to be the only team in league history to have won four-straight Women's Lacrosse Championships.

5. Eyes on McArthur
McArthur's 48 points this season surpass her total points in her first three seasons combined. The Peterborough, Ontario, native closed out the regular season on a 10-game scoring streak, tallying at least a hat trick in seven of those contests. The senior compiled 14 goals in the final three games of the season to help lead Canisius to two overtime victories over Quinnipiac and Marist.

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

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#28 Paige Stachura: M; 5' 7"; Junior

#31 Sarah Kilburn: M; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

#28 Paige Stachura
: 5' 7"; Junior
: M

#31 Sarah Kilburn
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: M