A landmark win. Countless weekly conference awards. A dazzling second half comeback. National attention.
Just as many of Fairfield’s athletic teams enjoyed an unparalleled streak of success in the past few weeks, women’s lacrosse followed in suit and, at the moment, boasts one of the best recent streak of successes on campus.
In addition to a pair of thrilling victories over James Madison and Quinnipiac, the Stags also came out of a treacherous out-of-conference schedule stretch with another convincing victory against cross-town rival Sacred Heart, which the team defeated last spring to clinch the program’s first ever both in the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps the most notable win, however, came in the form of a 14-5 lopsided road win against Yale, marking the first time in team history that the Stags defeated their in-state rival and one of the most storied women’s lacrosse programs.
Along the way, senior attack Erin Rigby (Offensive Player of the Week), fifth-year senior attack Caitlin Young (Defensive Player of the Week), and freshman midfielder Chloe Magnan (Rookie of the Week) all collected Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) weekly awards in the team’s most recent stretch.
In addition, Kristen Coleman continued her ascent on the program’s all-time goal scorers chart. Following a four-goal effort against Quinnipiac, Coleman became the program’s all-time leader in goals scored.
“I think she’s been a tremendous asset, as an individual,” head coach Mike Waldvogel said. “Our style is basically run-and-gun so everyone has the green light. She just has to keep playing within our game, and so far she’s doing a good job.”
Beyond that, Waldvogel added that Coleman’s presence in the lineup has opened newfound offensive opportunities for her teammates, which has boded well for the team’s success.
“Now (Kristen) is starting to get the better defenders, , and that’s why Rigby and some of the other players are having success because now you don’t have that top defender.”
Consequently, Coleman’s compliment on offense, Erin Rigby, isn’t far behind, and currently sits at third on the program’s all-time scoring list. At the moment, Rigby leads the team in goals and cumulative points on the season.
Despite a 14-13 double-overtime setback on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Stadium to unbeaten Lehigh (6-0), the Stags showed flashes of brilliance with an impressive second half stretch.
In the face of a six-goal deficit at halftime, Fairfield scored five consecutive goals and eight of the final ten goals, capped by a free position goal from Coleman that tied the game with just over five minutes to play.
Even though the Mountain Hawks emerged from a highly contested overtime with the win, it is hard to argue that the Stags have put themselves on the national landscape with their success and, eventually, have put themselves in prime position to enter Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a plethora of confidence and added momentum.
“Our job basically is to win the MAAC,” Waldvogel said. “Win the championship in the end, get an automatic bid to the NCAAs, and then win that first game, at least that first game in the NCAAs. That’s what the seniors’ goal is and that’s what our goal is.”
“I think we can do it,” he added. “We just have to play well and smart. We just have to stay focused on what we have to do.”
The Stags continue the out-of-conference portion of their schedule this weekend against California, and then compliment another game against a West Cost opponent (St. Mary’s) with an imposing game against New Hampshire, which, at 4-2, is one of the better teams in the America East conference.
Conference play begins with a trip to Buffalo and a early April contests against Canisius and Niagara.
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