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Canisius University Athletics

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Ashlyn Dhandwar Holds Ball vs Quinnipiac at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. on April 23rd 2026.
Lucas Dembski
13
Winner Quinnipiac QUINNIPI 10-7
11
Canisius CANISIUS 12-5
Winner
Quinnipiac QUINNIPI
10-7
13
Final
11
Canisius CANISIUS
12-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Quinnipiac QUINNIPI 5 5 1 2 13
Canisius CANISIUS 2 3 5 1 11

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Women's Lacrosse Defeated by Quinnipiac in MAAC First Round

No. 6 seed Quinnipiac scored 10 goals in the first half en route to a 13-11 upset of No. 3 seed Canisius in the first-round action in the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Sunday at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Bobcats (10-7) advance to the semifinal round with the win, where they will face No. 1 seed and host Fairfield on Friday. The Golden Griffins (12-5) saw their season come to an end after the Blue and Gold won six conference games for the eighth time in program history and for the first time since 2017.

Peyton Choma and Cate Bendowski each recorded two goals and an assist as the Bobcats saw five players finish with multiple goals. Emma Miller-Ayala led all players with seven draw controls as Quinnipiac won the battle in the circle by a 16-10 margin. Shannon Alden made 12 saves on 23 shots to earn the victory in net.

Canisius was led by senior Maggie Tifft, who found the back of the net three times, while sophomore teammate Makenna Crouse added two goals and an assist. Senior Briaunna D'Andrade recorded a game-high three caused turnovers as the Golden Griffins forced seven takeaways throughout the contest.

Quinnipiac scored the game's first three goals before senior Meg Hiltz and sophomore Katie Adams teamed up for goals 56 seconds apart to trim the early deficit to just one late in the first quarter. 

The Bobcats extended their lead with two goals in the waning moments of the first quarter but Canisius answered back with a 3-1 run to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to 6-5 with 9:22 left to go in the period.

Quinnipiac took control of the contest before the break, notching the final four goals of the first half to take a 10-5 lead into the locker rooms.

Canisius looked to mount the second-half comeback, out-scoring Quinnipiac by a 5-1 margin in the third quarter to make it a one-goal game heading into the fourth.

The Bobcats were able to create breathing room once again, scoring the next two goals to build a 13-10 lead with 9:55 remaining in regulation.

Sophomore Ashlyn Dhandwar broke the drought at the 6:05 mark to lessen the Quinnipiac lead to two. Alden and the Bobcats defense made sure the Griffs could not get any closer, holding Canisius off the scoreboard the rest of the way to secure the win and advance to the next round.

GAME NOTES
• Canisius made its 18th appearance in the MAAC Championship on Sunday.
• Freshman Ella Forcucci was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year after totaling 51 goals and 67 points which shattered the Canisius program record for freshman in both categories. Forcucci was also named to the conference's First Team and Rookie Team.
• Juniors Megan Previdi, Maddie Fitzgerald and Harper Weatherdon were all selected to the All-MAAC Second Team.
• Tifft ended her career with three straight hat tricks and accumulated 10 goals over the course of that stretch.

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