2017 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Field is Set
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – The 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women's Lacrosse Championship field of play is set as the regular season concluded on Wednesday evening. Canisius College is the No. 1 overall seed and are set to host the semifinals and championship rounds on May 5 and May 7 from the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, NY.
The Griffs finished the season (13-4, 8-0 MAAC) and are hosting the championship for the fourth-straight season. As the No. 1 seed Canisius receives a bye to the semifinal round where it faces the lowest advancing seed from the first round games on Friday, May 5 on ESPN3. The Griffs have won the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship five out of the last six seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016).
Fairfield University (11-5, 7-1 MAAC) are the No. 2 seed in the championship. The Stags won nine of their last 10 games to close out the season and were on an eight-game winning streak before their first conference loss to the Griffs on April 22. Fairfield receives a bye to the semifinal round where it takes on the highest advancing seed from the first round matchups on Friday, May 5 on ESPN3.
The No. 3 seed is Marist College (9-8, 5-3 MAAC). The Red Foxes host a first round game against No. 6 Quinnipiac University (4-12, 3-5 MAAC) on Saturday, April 29 from Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field in Poughkeepsie, NY. An official game-time for the first round matchup is yet to be announced.
Marist won the lone regular season meeting against Quinnipiac, 10-4 on April 8 from Tenney Stadium. Senior attack Olivia Pitonzo tallied three goals, an assist, four ground balls, and three caused turnovers en route to the victory. Freshman attack Samantha Mehalick added three goals and five ground balls for the Red Foxes. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Witczak registered five saves on the day.
Quinnipiac earned its first postseason berth in program history. Sophomore midfield Allison Kuhn led the Bobcats in points this season with 37 (24 goals, 13 assists) and draw controls with 34. The sophomore also tallied 26 ground balls on the year.
Niagara University (8-9, 5-3 MAAC) is the No. 4 seed and hosts No. 5 Monmouth University (6-11, 4-4 MAAC) on Saturday, April 29 from Niagara Field in Niagara University, NY. An official game-time for the first round matchup is yet to be announced.
The Purple Eagles defeated the Hawks, 13-8 at home in their only head-to-head meeting of the regular season. Sophomore attack Rachel MacCheyne recorded five goals, two assists, and six draw controls in the win. Junior defender Alexandra Higgins tallied five ground balls, five caused turnovers, and five draw controls for Niagara.
Monmouth senior attack Olivia Higson led the team in goals with 35 and has totaled 42 points on the season. Freshman Nicole Ceraso finished the regular season with a team-high 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists). The Hawks have now qualified for the postseason in each of the last four seasons.
The 2017 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship game takes place on Sunday, May 7 on ESPN3. For more information on the Championship, visit maacsports.com/womenslax and be sure to follow the action on social media by using #MAACLAX.
Tickets can be purchased for the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship by visiting maac.ticketleap.com.