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Meg Hiltz celebrates with teammates after a goal against Rider at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. on April 18th, 2026.
Lindy Feider
10
Rider RIDER 1-16, 0-8
20
Winner Canisius CANISIUS 12-4, 6-2
Rider RIDER
1-16, 0-8
10
Final
20
Canisius CANISIUS
12-4, 6-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Rider RIDER 3 4 2 1 10
Canisius CANISIUS 7 3 5 5 20

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Women's Lacrosse Defeats Rider to Secure Third Seed

Canisius closed the game on a 9-1 run to break open a close contest and defeat Rider, 20-10, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women's lacrosse action Saturday at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Golden Griffins finished the regular season with a 6-2 league record and a 12-4 overall mark to secure the three seed in the 2026 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Broncs completed their season with an overall mark of 1-16 with an 0-8 ledger in conference play.

Seniors Maggie Tifft and Meg Hiltz and freshman Ella Forcucci paced a potent Canisius attack as all three players finished with five points in the contest. Tifft and Forcucci both tallied four goals and an assist while Hiltz scored two goals and dished out three assists Junior Maddie Fitzgerald recorded a hat trick and fellow junior Bridget Brown scooped up a career-high four ground balls and added four caused turnovers to lead the defensive effort for the Griffs. Graduate student Isabel Gautreaux was awarded the win in goal as she posted five saves on 12 shots.

Marissa Ross scored three goals and added four assists to lead all players with seven points while teammate Hannah Kozik added a hat trick of her own. Three Broncs - Ross, Kozik and Grace Francesconi - won six draws each as Rider dominated the battle in the circle by a 22-10 margin.

Holding an 11-9 lead midway through the third quarter, a player-up goal from sophomore Makenna Crouse with 8:35 to play in the third ignited the decisive spurt that lasted through the final buzzer and saw seven different Canisius players find the back of the net. 

Eariler in the contest, Tifft notched three goals in the opening 9:17 of the game to spark the Griffs to an early 7-2 advantage. 

Rider countered Canisius' opening salvo, scoring four of the next five goals to make it a two-goal game midway through the second quarter. 

The Griffs notched two of the final three goals of the first half to carry a 10-7 lead into the locker room before the Broncs notched two of the first three tallies of the third quarter to once again pull within two, providing the setting for the Griffs game-changing run. 

GAME NOTES
• Saturday's game was the third all-time meeting between the two programs and first that has taken place at the Demske Sports Complex. Canisius holds a 2-1 record against Rider.
• Canisius will battle the No. 6 seed in the first round of the 2026 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship. The tournament field will be determined by results from around the conference later today.
• The Griffs saw 10 different goal scorers, with five of those players tallying a multi-goal game.
• Canisius dominated the ground ball battle by a 27-10 margin.
• Forcucci became the ninth Griff in program history to reach the 50-goal milestone in a season. She holds the program record for both goals and points by a freshman.
• The Griffs' scored 20-or-more goals for the first time in conference action and third time this season. Saturday's 20-goal explosion was the most goals scored by a single team in a MAAC game this season.
• Canisius honored five seniors - Tifft, Hiltz, Ava Pezzimenti, Sarah Kee, Briaunna D'Andrade - and graduate students Gautreaux and Taylor McArthur in the pregame senior day festivities.

UP NEXT
Canisius has secured the No. 3 seed for the 2026 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Griffs open the six-team tournament April 26 at noon with a first-round contest against the No. 6 seed Quinnipiac at the Demske Sports Complex. 

The game is scheduled to stream live on ESPN+. Tickets are required for entry and may be purchased later this week.

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