EDISON, NJ (Apr. 25, 2026) – The first round of the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship takes place on Sunday, April 26.
The six qualifiers for the championship include top overall seed Fairfield University, No. 2 Niagara University, No. 3 Canisius University, No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s University, No. 5 Siena University, No. 6 Quinnipiac University.
The 2026 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship will be taking place April 26 through May 3, 2026. The six-team, single-elimination championship will begin with the first round on Sunday, followed by the semifinals on Friday, May 1, and concluding with the championship final on Sunday, May 3. The first round will be hosted by the #3 Canisius and #4 Mount St. Mary’s. The championship semifinal round and final will be hosted by No. 1 Fairfield at Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, CT. All Championship matches will air live on the ESPN+ while the championship final will air live nationally on ESPNU at 11:00 am.
No. 1 Fairfield will meet the lower advancing seed from the first round on Friday, May 1 at 12:00 pm in the semifinal round. No. 2 Niagara is set to play the higher advancing seed from the first round in its semifinal round contest at 4:00 pm on Friday.
No. 3 Canisius (12-4, 6-2 MAAC) vs. No. 6 Quinnipiac (9-7, 4-4 MAAC)
Demske Sports Complex | BUFFALO, NY | 12:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
No. 3 Canisius will welcome No. 6 Quinnipiac to Western New York for the first round matchup on Sunday at noon. The Golden Griffins and Bobcats met exactly a month ago on March 25 in Western New York, where the home Griffs got past the visiting Bobcats 15-14. Canisius makes its return to the postseason tournament following a one-year hiatus in 2025. Prior to last season, the Griffs previously made 18 consecutive tournaments since 2006. Canisius is the second-most successful MAAC program behind Fairfield since 2001, winning six league titles during the time. The Griffs are seeking their first league title since 2017, following winning back-to-back championships. Canisius is also the only other program in addition to the Stags since 2001 to achieve four straight MAAC crowns, doing so from 2011 through 2014. Quinnipiac will be making its second straight postseason tournament, and third over the past four seasons. The Bobcats, who have never advanced past the semifinal round, has qualified for the MAAC postseason five times since joining the league in 2013, and only has two postseason victories, with them both coming in first round play. Sunday’s first round matchup will be the second postseason meeting ever between the two schools, with the only meeting in the series occurring in the 2023 first round, where Quinnipiac defeated Canisius 10-4.
No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s (10-6, 6-2 MAAC) vs. No. 5 Siena (10-6, 5-3 MAAC)
Waldron Family Stadium | EMMITSBURG, MD | 12:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s will host to No. 5 Siena in Emmitsburg, MD in the other first round game of the day at noon. When the Mountaineers and Saints battled during the regular season, the Mount scored an 11-10 victory in overtime over the Saints in Loudonville, NY on April 1. Mount St. Mary’s makes its fourth consecutive postseason since its inaugural season in the MAAC in 2023. Despite making the postseason field the three previous years, including being the top overall seed last year in 2025, the Mount is just 1-3 in tournament, with their lone win coming in the first round of the 2024 championship, a 17-13 win over Iona. The Mountaineers have a track record of success in women’s lacrosse, having won back-to-back NEC Championships in 2021 and 2022, and four total NEC titles dating back to 1998. Siena will be making its seventh straight postseason appearance dating back to the 2019 season. Over the timespan, the Saints made back-to-back final appearances in 2019 and 2021, while also clinching a final berth in 2023, but despite its recent success, the program is still in search of its first championship trophy. Although both teams have made the championship field together in four straight seasons since 2023, this will be the first time the two sides will square off in postseason action.
For all information regarding the 2026 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 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 University.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
X,
Facebook,
Instagram and LinkedIn or visit
MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.