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They have accomplished something that no senior class in the MAAC has ever done before.

The Fairfield University Women’s Lacrosse team tied program and conference records after beating Canisius by a score of 12-8 this past Sunday. The victory marked their 22nd consecutive win against regular season MAAC foes.

“It feels awesome,” said senior defender Rebecca Rostowsky.

The graduating class of 2011 bid farewell to their home fans on Senior Day by ending their career on a high note. Setting a conference record was the perfect opportunity for the seniors to reflect on the past four tears. All their hard work has been instrumental in building the program to what it is today.

“We worked really hard as a team, and the seniors have worked really hard together all four years.  It’s a really a big accomplishment for us four,” said starting midfielder Brittany Bare.

Head coach Mike Waldvogel knows that a streak impressive as this requires commitment from a senior class, who were willing to work for a goal that would not involve any shortcuts.

“We’ve gone through the journey together and it’s really special to me,” he said.

And what a journey it has been.  Kristen Coleman and Katie MacKay were the first pieces to the puzzle. Each of them committed to a school that had gone 14-12 in conference play the last four years, without advancing to the MAAC Championship in any of those seasons.  Rebecca Rostowsky would transfer and join the group the next year.

Then, the team got their leader in Mike Waldvogel, who was promoted from the assistant coach position.  The parts were now in place for their quest to begin.

“We’ve been doing it together for the last three and four years, so it feels really good to do it with the girls that have been by my side the whole time,” starting attack Katie MacKay said regarding the winning streak.

Together, the quartet has accomplished what they set out to do and have found an immense amount of success.

The fact that the group has not lost a MAAC regular season game in their individual careers highlights how much hard work was put into the process.

“It feels really good as a senior who started the streak, it feels really good to finish it,” Bare said.

The two-time All MAAC First Team selection enters the final couple of games in fifth place in the statistic of all-time caused turnovers.

The four players have helped the Stags reach their first ever NCAA Tournament game two years ago, as well as appearances in the MAAC Championship game in each of their three seasons.

Their head coach, who has been the leader of this long four-year journey, knows that the Fairfield Women’s Lacrosse program is at its present-day status because of the senior class.

“We brought it up.  We were at the middle of the pack, our goal is to get to into the top 10 and we’re working our way up,” said Waldvogel.

Except for Kristen Coleman, who is red shirting the 2011 season due to an injury, the seniors will no longer play a game in front of their fans, friends, and family on the Fairfield University campus.

But when looking back on how far they have come and seeing that their work paid off, it leaves a sense of accomplishment to Katie MacKay and the rest of the Stags.

“I had high expectations.  I knew Fairfield was a great team,” she said.  “I think over the last few years we’ve gotten better and better and now we’re playing on one of the best teams that Fairfield lacrosse has ever seen.”

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