April 7, 2006

The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team starts a season-long five-game road trip this weekend, returning to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Lacrosse League play. The Stags will visit Niagara on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Canisius on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Fairfield enters the weekend with a 4-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in league play. The 1-1 mark is good for a four-way tie for third place in the MAAC, with Manhattan, Marist and Niagara. The top-four teams will qualify for the MAAC tournament, April 28-30 at Iona. LeMoyne leads the league at 3-0, followed by Canisius, at 2-0. Two teams in the MAAC are still looking for league wins, with Iona at 0-2 and Siena at 0-3.

Beth Loffredo continues to be one of the catalysts for the Stags offense, entering the weekend leading the team in every offensive category. She has tallied 41 points, third in the MAAC and 40th in the nation, at 3.7 per game. She has touched net 29 times and dished out 12 assists. She also leads the way with 14 caused turnovers, and ranks second with 26 ground balls and 19 draw controls.

Beth Loffredo needs five points to become the school's all-time leader in points.

Loffredo, the school's all-time leading goal scorer with 128, is also closing in on the program's all-time record for points. She enters the weekend series with 163 points, four shy of Jessica Conahan (2001-04) and her 167 career points. Loffredo has 35 assists, which is good four sixth in program history.

Rookie Abbey Goodwin continues to make her presence felt in her rookie campaign, having touched net 27 times and ranking second on the team in that category, as well as in total points, with 28. Entering the week she ranked fifth in the MAAC in goals per game, and tallied three against Columbia.

Ashley Chappell has also surpassed 20 points, entering the weekend with 23, on 13 goals and 10 assists. Sarah Masterson has a team-best 21 draw controls, to go along with 21 ground balls. She is fourth on the team with 15 points, 10 goals and five assists.

Fairfield has dominated the series with Niagara to this point, having posted a perfect 9-0 record against the Purple Eagles. Last season the Stags earned a 15-13 win at home, having won 17-5 at home in 2004. The last meeting in New York was in 2003; a game the Stags won 15-10. The first meeting was the 1997 season finale, which the Stags won 15-11 on the road. The closest of the two teams game was in the MAAC Tournament semifinal in 2001, with the Stags prevailing 8-5 in overtime.

Fairfield and Canisius are meeting for the eighth time on Sunday, with the Stags holding a 6-1 advantage in the series. Canisius earned its first series win last year, 14-12. That marked the first time that Canisius had reached double-digits in a game against Fairfield, having its best previous offensive effort, 16-6, the season before. The Griffs were the opponent in 2000 when the Stags scored a program best 23 goals, in a 23-2 victory.

The Stags will stay on the road for three more games following this weekend's play. Fairfield travels to Worcester, Mass., the non-conference finale, April 12 against Holy Cross. The Stags then travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for an April 19 match-up with Marist and go to Manhattan on April 22. The regular season finale will be at home on April 23, when the Stags host Iona.