EMMITSBURG, MD (May 2, 2025) – No. 4 Iona University and No. 2 Fairfield University each punched its spots in the 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship final, after earning semifinal round wins on Friday afternoon inside of Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Gaels upset No. 1 Mount St. Mary’s University, 11-10 and the Stags defeated No. 3 Siena College, 16-12. The title contest will feature contrasting programs, with Fairfield who has played in the most MAAC championships all-time, going against Iona who will be making its MAAC championship final debut.
No. 4 Iona – 11 | No. 1 Mount St. Mary’s – 10
Waldron Family Stadium | EMMITSBURG, MD
Box Score
Just five days after the Gaels secured their first MAAC Championship win in program history, Iona picked up an improbable win over top seeded Mount, 11-10. The Gaels stormed out to a 5-0 lead over the Mount in the opening frame. The rally was spearheaded by two goals apiece from Calen Norton and Kira Varada. Mount St. Mary’s would erase the shutout and pull within two goals (7-5) at halftime after three straight goals from Brooke Molchanoff to close out the first period and by outscoring Iona 5-2 to close out the half. In the third quarter, the Mount continued its offensive push, scoring the first four tallies of the period, led by two goals from Anna Salerno, taking their first lead of the day at 9-7. Iona eventually regained the lead, at 10-9, with just under 10 minutes to play in the game, but Mount St. Mary’s would once again tie the meeting with 2:00 to play. In the waning moments, Iona’s Varada notched the game-winning goal with 1:05 reading on the clock, securing the upset victory over the No. 1 seed.
Iona Notes and Notables
- For the second straight tournament contest, Iona’s do it all midfielder, Varada, led the Gaels in points, goals, ground balls, caused turnovers, and draw controls.
- On Friday, she compiled six points, five goals, one assists, seven ground balls, three caused turnovers, and two draw controls.
- Kacie Scarduzio was second on the team in points, recording three on a team-high two assists and one goal.
- Norton scored a pair of goals for the second consecutive postseason game.
- Kate Kruegar was the last Gael to notch multiple tallies, also scoring two goals.
- In goal for Iona was Ava Giugliano who made 12 saves and scooped up one ground ball.
- The Gaels were efficient with their shot opportunities, scoring goals on 11 of their 16 shots on goal.
- The postseason win for Iona was just the second-ever in program history.
- The Gaels will play in their first-ever MAAC Championship final on Sunday.
Mount St. Mary’s Notes and Notables
- Leading Mount St. Mary’s was Molchanoff – recorded a hat trick in the first quarter – who finished tied for a team-high of four points, also handing out one assist and picking up three ground balls.
- Also finishing the day with four points was Madison Harmening, tallying two goals and two assists, with a team-most four ground balls.
- Salerno was the next top point earner, totaling three points by way of two goals and an assist.
- The final multi-point scorer for the Mount was Mackenzi Furlong with two points behind one goal and one assist.
- Shannon McTavish was the team leader in draw controls, winning a team-high three draws.
- Camille Thomas was the starting goalkeeper for the Mount, making five saves.
- The Mount dominated all the in-game battles over Iona.
- The Mountaineers outshot the Gaels, 36-25 and had more shots on goal (22-16).
- The Mount scooped up three more ground balls (20-17) and won more draws (16-9).
No. 2 Fairfield – 16 | No. 3 Siena – 12
Waldron Family Stadium | EMMITSBURG, MD
Box Score
Fairfield continued its tear of the semifinal round, using a dominating second quarter to knock off No. 3 Siena, 16-12. Siena jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and led 3-2 after the opening 15 minutes. The Stags would answer the deficit by scoring six consecutive goals to start the second period and ultimately outscoring the Saints 7-2 overall in the frame to go ahead 9-5 at intermission. During the second quarter run, Amanda Kozak scored the first goal of the rally less than one minute in and capped off the rally by scoring the sixth-team goal of the run with 3:14 remaining in the half. Through three frames, Fairfield led by three goals, but the Stags began the fourth with a quick 4-0 spurt, extending their lead to a game-high seven goals (16-9) with 8:04 to play. Siena did not quit, responding with the game’s final three tallies, but it wasn’t enough, as Fairfield held off any further scoring opportunities for the Saints in the game.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- A trio of Stags finished with hat tricks in the game.
- Kozak finished with game-highs of eight points and five goals, while adding three assists as well in the winning effort.
- Grace Slater scored her three goals on six shots, also converting one on a free position goal.
- The third Stag to log three goals was Kelly Haggerty, who also picked up two ground balls and had one caused turnover.
- Tessa Caputo dished out a team-best five assists and found the back of the net once, finishing with six points.
- Brooke Marotti was third on the team in points, posting two goals and two assists.
- Leading Fairfield in draw controls, was Brynn Donnelly, who won a game-high eight draw controls.
- Earning the win in goal was Keira Furey, making seven saves.
- Fairfield had the edge in shots, taking a handful more (28-23).
- The Stags won the battle at the “X” going 18-13 in draw controls.
- Fairfield returns to the MAAC Championship final for the eighth straight year and for the ninth time over the past decade.
- In total, they will be making their 16th overall appearance in the championship contest.
- The Stags will be in pursuit of MAAC trophy number nine, already owning the most in league history with their eight current titles.
Siena Notes and Notables
- Two Saints had hat tricks to lead the team.
- Leading Siena in scoring was Sarah Irish who totaled four points, scoring three goals and one assist.
- Cassidy Bonura was the second Saint to score three goals, and she was the team leader in draw controls, with a team-high of four.
- Kelly Logue and Elizabeth Wamp were the final multi-goal scorers for Siena, each scoring two goals.
- Making the start in net was McAllister Salter who made two saves in the defeat.
- Despite taking five less shots, Siena landed more on target, holding a 19-18 edge in shots on goal.
- The Saints scooped up more ground balls (17-16) and caused more turnovers (9-7).
- The loss snapped Siena’s seven game winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the MAAC.
The 2025 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship final will be played on Sunday, May 4, with first draw for the trophy at 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU. The finale will mark the first time in league history that the MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship will air nationally on ESNPU.
For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/wlax.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
Twitter,
Facebook,
Instagram and
Threads or visit
MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.