Fairfield Wins Third Straight MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship
No. 1 Fairfield University – 12 | No. 2 Siena College – 8
2021 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship Game
Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium | Fairfield, CT
After some early struggles in the first half, Fairfield University (13-1, 11-1 MAAC) would put together a 7-2 run that would shift the game in their favor as they would go on to defeat Siena College (11-3, 9-2 MAAC), 12-8, to capture their third consecutive MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship. Trailing 4-1 with 20:06 remaining in the opening half, Ellie Grefenstette would find the back of the net for the Stags and kickstart the offensive surge that would give them the lead entering halftime, 8-6. Fairfield would continue to build their lead in the second half, and with 1:28 remaining, Elizabeth Rowe would make it a 12-8 game with her second goal of the afternoon and lock up the title for the Stags.
Fairfield now advances to the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, where they will face fourth-seeded Boston College in the First Round on Friday, May 14, at 1 p.m.
Fairfield Notes
- This is Fairfield’s sixth MAAC Championship in program history, tying them with Canisius College for the conference lead. This is also the program’s fourth conference championship since 2015.
- By earning an automatic qualifier, the Stags will make their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- Fairfield head coach Laura Field earns her third MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship at the helm of the program.
- Nine different players scored at least one point for the afternoon, with seven scoring at least one goal.
- Diana DeVita led the way for Fairfield with four points (2g, 2a) while also tallying one ground ball.
- Including DeVita, five players netted two goals for the afternoon: Ellie Grefenstette, Kelly Horning, Arianna Lavelle, and Elizabeth Rowe.
- Maggie Fort and Elizabeth Talluto also added one goal each for the Stags
- Additional team leaders included Meaghan Graham with three assists, Keyla Bay with three ground balls, and Caroline Mangan with three caused turnovers.
- Olivia Conquest earned the win in net for Fairfield, recording eight saves while facing 29 shots.
- Fairfield held the edge in shots on goal, 17-14.
Siena Notes
- This was Siena’s second straight appearance in the MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship Game, and their third in program history (2005, 2019).
- With four draw controls today, Kerry Gerety set the Siena single-season record for draw controls with 105, replacing the previous record set by her in 2019 (104).
- Gerety lead the Siena offense with three points (2g, 1a), and was one of four Saints to record two goals for the afternoon (Annie Brennan, Kaitlyn Dowsett, Nicole McNeely).
- Hannah Field, Grace Nothnagle, and Mary Soures tied for the team lead in caused turnovers with two.
- Emily Fiorillo and Ally Mervine each had a team-high three ground balls for the game.
- Nicole McNeely led the way with five draw controls for the Saints.
- Siena held the advantage over Fairfield in both shots (29-19) and draw controls (13-7).
Following the conclusion of the championship game, Fairfield’s Caroline Mangan was named the MAAC Championship’s Most Valuable Player. Additionally, the MAAC announced the complete 2021 Women’s Lacrosse All-Championship Team. The full list can be found below:
| Name |
School |
| Diana DeVita |
Fairfield |
| Kelly Horning |
Fairfield |
| Elizabeth Rowe |
Fairfield |
| Maggie Reynolds |
Fairfield |
| Nicole Ceraso |
Monmouth |
| Allison Turturro |
Monmouth |
| Meaghan Howe |
Niagara |
| Lois Garlow |
Niagara |
| Kaitlyn Dowsett |
Siena |
| Kerry Gerety |
Siena |
| Nicole McNeely |
Siena |
| MAAC Championship MVP |
Caroline Mangan, Fairfield University |
For more information on the 2021 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, visit MAACSports.com/wlax.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.