On a sunny 60 degree Saturday afternoon, the Fairfield University women’s lacrosse team captured a much-needed win over Hofstra 19-14. Senior Riley Hellstein wreaked havoc on the Hofstra defense with seven goals and one assist. Junior Brenna Connolly and Taylor Mitchell ‘19 each had three goals a piece while seniors Scarlett Sulliman, Alex Fehmel and Kathleen Hulseman ‘19 added two goals as well.
Junior Brenna Connolly finished Saturday’s game with three goals. Alfredo Torres/The Mirror
Hellstein’s seventh goal of the game was her 100th career goal, an impressive milestone for a player whose had multiple injuries in her past few seasons. “Coming back from [last year’s] injury I was just hopeful to be able to play again. Getting my 100th goal was a nice surprise to say the least,” said the Agawam, Mass. native.
Hellstein’s will to win was noticeable from the start, as the Stags had failed to secure a victory in their first three games of the season. With 20:43 left in the first half, Hellstein caught fire, scoring four consecutive goals to keep Fairfield only behind by one (4-5). Sophomore Erin Mammele also performed well from the moment the game began. She had a career day, tying the program record with eight draw controls in only her fourth career start.
It was a very even matchup on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. One team would score and the other team would answer right away with a goal of their own. A critical interception made by Stags defender Erin Bauman ‘18 with under 30 seconds left in the first half helped Fairfield eliminate Hofstra’s scoring chance and take a 9-8 lead into the locker room.
The Stags came into the second half with the same killer instinct they showcased in the first. Both teams were tied at 11 with 20:48 left before a Hellstein goal helped Fairfield go on a 3-0 run to push away from the Pride.
Precision passing and a minimal number of fouls allowed Fairfield to capture the lead and never relinquish it. “Our pregame energy was huge today. We’ve come into the last couple of games a bit lackadaisical. We need to keep this energy up and the whole team played amazing,” said Hellstein.
A win like this undoubtedly builds up the Stags’ confidence going forward in their season. Fairfield’s next matchup will be on Sunday, March 5 at noon on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium against the University of New Hampshire. The Wildcats come into Fairfield, Conn. looking for revenge as the Stags beat them 16-6 in Durham, N.H. last season.
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