EDISON, NJ (Apr. 30, 2023) – The 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship kicked off on Sunday, April 30, with opening round games. No. 3 Niagara University used a second-half offensive explosion to knock-off No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s 14-10, while No. 4 Quinnipiac University earned its program’s first ever MAAC postseason win by way of a 10-4 victory over No. 5 Canisius College.
No. 3 Niagara 14 | No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s 10
Niagara Field | NIAGARA UNIV., NY
Box Score
Niagara (12-6, 5-3) opened up the game with a pair of goals, to take a 2-0 lead, but Mount St. Mary’s (4-13, 3-5) responded with back-to-back tallies to tie the game at 2-2. The Purple Eagles would score two unanswered again to go up 4-2 but the Mount would find the back of the net with 22 seconds left coming from Abby Osmeyer to end the half with a 4-3 game. The second half was all Niagara, who used a 6-0 run from the 18 second mark of the third period through the 9:24 mark of the fourth quarter to take a commanding 13-7 lead. The deficit would be too much for the Mount to recuperate and Niagara would go on to earn the 14-10 win.
Niagara Notes and Notables
- Lexi Braniecki scored a game-high five goals including three of the team’s final four in the final quarter, and added an assist.
- Rachel Crane chipped in with a hat trick and assist, while Lois Garlow and Andra Savage scored two goals each.
- Katie Ling recorded six saves in all 60 minutes in goal.
- The Purple Eagles outshot the Mountaineers 28-21 and 21-16 in shots on target.
- Niagara also held a ground ball advantage (26-19) in the win.
- This is the Purple Eagles first trip back into the semifinal round since 2021.
Mount St. Mary’s Notes and Notables
- Erin Anderson was perfect on all four of her shot attempts in the game, leading the Mount with a quartet of tallies.
- Anna Salerno followed with a hat trick, Osmeyer added two goals, and Molly Molchanoff scored one goal for the Mountaineers.
- In net, Madison Bradley made seven stops in the losing effort.
- The Mount won the draw control battle, winning 18 out of the 28 in the contest.
No. 4 Quinnipiac 10 | No. 5 Canisius 4
Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium | HAMDEN, CT
Box Score
Quinnipiac (10-7, 5-3) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening period, behind a pair of goals from senior Desiree Kleberg. The Bobcats scored three out of the five goals from the free position and via a man-up. Canisius (8-8, 3-5) would score a goal late in the period to end the rally and get on the board. In the second period, the Griffs doubled up the Bobcats, 2-1 to make it a 6-3 game at halftime, using consecutive free position goals from Caroline Netti (3:10) and Skylar McArthur (0:06) to end the second quarter. The score would remain the same after a scoreless third period in which neither side found the back of the net over 15 minutes. Canisius cut its deficit to two-points when Paige Stachura ended the offensive slump on a goal with 11:02 in the game. Despite getting within two-goals, the Bobcats answered, ending its drought minutes later, with a barrage of goals. After over 35 minutes without finding the back of the net, Quinnipiac scored four goals in less than a five minute span in the fourth with tallies coming from Maddie Deegan (8:34), Abby Wise (6:26 and 3:45), and Emily Feeney (4:40) ultimately putting the game out of reach.
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
- Feeney’s hat trick and single assist led Quinnipiac on the afternoon.
- Deegan, Wise, and Kleberg all scored a pair of goals in the victory for the Bobcats offensively as well.
- Quinnipiac more than doubled Canisius in shots (31-15), posted a 17-13 shots on goal advantage, and also won the ground balls battle (23-14), draw control battle (10-7) and caused turnovers (19-14).
- 2023 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Kat Henselder earned the win after making nine save in goal.
- The win was the first ever in MAAC postseason history for Quinnipiac after falling in its opening round games of its two previous tournaments.
Canisius Notes and Notables
- Canisius was led by McArthur’s two tallies.
- Netti and Stachura each dropped in a goal.
- Judy Chu made seven saves in goal for the Griffs in the defeat.
2023 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship action will resume on Friday, May 5 with the semifinals and conclude with the championship final on Sunday, May 7. The championship semifinals and final will be hosted by Fairfield at Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, CT. Quinnipiac will take on host No. 1 Fairfield at 12:00 p.m. and Niagara will meet No. 2 Siena at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in the semifinal round.
Tickets for all games during the 2023 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship can be purchased through HomeTown Ticketing at the gate or by visiting
maacsports.com.
For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, please 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) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram or visit
MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.