Fairfield University women's lacrosse player Mary Vallely (Ayers, Mass.) was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women's Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Year at the tournament banquet this evening at Iona College. She is the third player in program history to earn the accolade, and the first since 2004.

Vallely, as well as Lauren Chatnik (Schenectady, N.Y.) were both named to the All-MAAC First Team, in a vote of the leagues head coaches. Ashley Chappell (Potomac, Md.), Sarah Masterson (Sea Girt, N.J.), Amy Neville (Duxbury, Mass.) and Katie von Hoffmann (Upper Montclair, N.J.) were all named to the All-MAAC Second Team.

Vallely finished the regular season with 36 caused turnovers, tops on the team and in the league. Her 2.12 per game ranks her 12th in the nation through games of April 22. Vallely also led the Stags with 50 ground balls, good for 20th in the nation. She also aided the Stags offensive attack, contributing 14 points, on 11 goals and three assists.

Chatnik backstopped the Stags to eight wins this season. She made 166 saves on the year, with 79 coming against MAAC foes. On the year she posted a goals-against average of 11.50. In league play she boasted a 52.3 save percentage, a number that led the league.

Chappell finished the regular season tied for fourth on the team with 30 points, netting 21 goals and nine assists. Masterson tallied 31 points on the year, including a team-high 11 assists, as well as 20 goals. Neville led the team in all three offensive categories, tallying 45 total points. She scored 34 goals, a career-high, and had 11 assists, as she earned Second Team accolades for the second time (2005). Von Hoffmann was one of the main defensive cogs for the Stags, recording 26 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers, as she earned All-MAAC Second Team honors for the second straight season.

The Stags, who went 8-9 on the year, are the number two-seed at this weekend's MAAC Tournament. Fairfield will take on number three-seed Marist College on Friday, at Iona College, 45 minutes after the conclusion of the semifinal between LeMoyne and Manhattan, which is set to begin at noon.