It was the upset of the season as Fairfield’s women’s lacrosse fell to Canisius by one goal, 10-11, on Saturday, April 11. Headed into the game, both teams were undefeated, but Canisius was able to swipe Fairfield of their perfect record on Senior Day at Rafferty Stadium.
It was a tough start for the Stags, with the Golden Griffs scoring back-to-back goals in the first five minutes of the half.
However, Fairfield was able to net the next three consecutive goals, two of them coming from Courtney Chmil ‘15 and Jamie Leone ‘15, and the third from an unassisted shot by Alex Fehmel ‘17. Canisius fired back and took back their lead, answering Fairfield’s three goals with another three goals of their own. At the end of the first half, Chmil and Julieanne Mascera ‘16 were able to post another two goals for their team, but Canisius still finished out on top 6-5. Both teams ended the first half with 14 shots and four saves each. Fairfield controlled seven of the 12 draws.
“Our composition in the beginning of the game could have been better,” said head coach Mike Waldvogel. “We were a little intimidated of how they were going to play and what to expect.”
Canisius dominated the start of the second half, showing absolutely no mercy as they scored four consecutive goals, putting them ahead by five in the first five minutes of the half. Two of those goals happened to come from free position shots, which proved to be a problem for the Stags. Of the 11 goals scored by Canisius, five came from the eight meter one-on-one shots.
“The eight meter made a difference in the game,” said Waldvogel, “they scored on it, we didn’t.”
After the four goals from Canisius, Colleen Reynolds ‘16 was able to turn the game around for the Stags after she posted a goal off an assist from Fehmel. Fehmel answered with an unassisted goal, and after tightening the gap, Reynolds was able to set up a scoring opportunity for Maeve Quinn ‘16. With less than 20 minutes remaining in the game, Fairfield was able to fight back from the five-goal deficit and give the Golden Griffs only a two-goal lead. The two-goal deficit didn’t last long and Canisius was able to score yet another goal from an unassisted shot .
“Usually, we have a better defensive game,” said Reynolds. “So I feel like offense stepped up but next time, if our defense steps up and we work together, we will have the win.”
Stepping up herself, Reynolds was able to post the last and final two goals for the Stags, but it just wasn’t enough to get the team the win that they needed to stay undefeated. With less than a minute remaining, the Stags missed their last opportunities to get the win, giving Canisius the rank of number one in the conference.
“We had the shots and the opportunities in the end of the game, we just couldn’t finish it,” said Waldvogel.
At the end of the second half, Canisius only outshot Fairfield by one, but Fairfield’s offensive play allowed them to pick up 10 ground balls while Canisius only picked up four. It was an even match for the two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leaders, but the Stags failed to execute to get the win.
“I thought this game was for the championship. We’ve gone back and forth with Canisius pretty much every year and that’s what we looked at,” said Waldvogel. “We were hoping to have a win here and have playoffs here, but looks like we’re gonna have to go back to Buffalo but that’s fine.”
It was a tough loss for the entire team, but especially for the seniors on their Senior Day. The seniors, who have grown to be the leaders of the team, have experienced a lot and this loss isn’t the hardest thing they will be forced to overcome. After all five seniors started the fall season with injuries, just being able to finally play on the field is the most rewarding.
“Coming back from an injury, you just don’t understand or realize how much you miss the game when you’re standing on the sideline and not able to play,” said Chmil. “Playing lacrosse with my best friends is my favorite thing and I’m cherishing every moment.”
Chmil, who is just returning to the field after an ACL injury, has one thought in mind for the remainder of her final season with the Stags.
“The seniors are not going to graduate without a MAAC championship.”
The Stags will look to take on yet another tough team, Monmouth, on Wednesday, April 15.
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