FAIRFIELD, CT (Apr. 30, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship resumes on Friday, May 1 on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, CT, with the semifinal round. No. 1 Fairfield will host No. 6 Quinnipiac University at 12:00 pm, while No. 2 Niagara is set to play No. 5 Siena University at 4:00 pm. Both semifinal round matchups will air live on the ESPN+.
No. 1 Fairfield (13-3, 8-0 MAAC) vs. No. 6 Quinnipiac (10-7, 4-4 MAAC)
Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium | FAIRFIELD, CT | 12:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Connecticut rivals, Fairfield and Quinnipiac will battle in the first semifinal round contest at noon. The regular season champion Stags begin their quest for title number 10 on Friday following an 8-0 MAAC campaign which led to the program’s fourth straight regular season title. Fairfield has won six MAAC Championships, seven MAAC Regular Season Championships, and made seven consecutive NCAA postseason berths dating back to 2018, which included the first-ever at-large selection in women’s lacrosse history for both Fairfield and the MAAC back in 2024. The Stags have qualified and played in at least the semifinal round of every MAAC postseason dating back to 2006. Quinnipiac advanced to the semis after an upset win over No. 3 Canisius on Sunday afternoon. Powered by a 10-goal first half, the Bobcats used a wire-to-wire performance to defeat the Golden Griffins, 13-11, earning their 10
th win of the season in back-to-back years. Quinnipiac will be playing in the semifinal round for the second straight year and for the third time in the last four postseasons. The Bobcats have never advanced past the semifinal round since joining the MAAC in 2013-14. The Stags and Bobcats met on April 11 in Hamden, with the visiting Stags picking up a 17-13 win. Friday’s semifinal round matchup will be the second postseason meeting ever between the two rivals, with the only meeting in the series occurring in the 2023 semis, with Fairfield defeated Quinnipiac 14-7.
No. 2 Niagara (8-8, 7-1 MAAC) vs. No. 5 Siena (11-6, 5-3 MAAC)
Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium | FAIRFIELD, CT | 4:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
In the second semifinal round game, Niagara and Siena will meet at 4:00 pm. The Purple Eagles start their postseason action after earning a first round bye following a 7-1 MAAC regular season. Niagara, the 2024 MAAC Champions and only other team besides Fairfield to win a MAAC title since 2018, has qualified for the tournament in six straight season since 2021 and making its third semifinals over the past four seasons. Siena punched its semis ticket by way of a come from behind, 9-8 upset victory over No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s. The Saints scored a game-winning goal with 13 seconds left to take down the Mountaineers. Siena advances to its seventh straight MAAC semifinal dating back to 2019. 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. On March 28, the two teams played in a regular season game at Niagara, that the Purple Eagles won 10-4. Niagara and Siena will be meeting in the semifinal round for the third time in the past four postseasons since 2023. The teams split the previous two meetings with Niagara winning in 2024 and Siena taking the 2023 matchup.
The winners will meet in the 2026 MAAC Women’s Championship final on Sunday, May 3. The championship contest will air live nationally on ESPNU at 11:00 am.
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.
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