Women's Lacrosse

Fairfield Wins 2026 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, the Program’s MAAC-Leading 10th Title Powered by Northeast Beef

FAIRFIELD, CT (May 3, 2026) – No. 1 Fairfield captured the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Lacrosse Championship crown live on ESPNU Sunday afternoon on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, CT. The Stags defeated No. 5 Siena University, 13-4, to clinch the program’s MAAC-leading 10th championship title.
 
No. 1 Fairfield – 13 | No. 5 Siena – 4
Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium | FAIRFIELD, CT
Box Score
 
The top seeded Fairfield Stags’ effective second half over the No. 5 Siena Saints, led to the 13-4 win and 2026 MAAC Championship. The Stags outscored the Saints 7-0 in the third period and 9-2 combined in the half to capture the championship game.
 
Fairfield started the meeting by scoring the game’s first four goals in the first period, highlighted by back-to-back tallies from Sara Macleod within a minute of each other. With less than two minutes left in the opening quarter, Siena’s Avery Connolly erased the shutout with a goal.  
 
The second period was controlled by Siena, as the Saints defense held Fairfield scoreless the entire quarter and for 18:09 total to end the first half. During the shutout period, the Saints forced five turnovers and MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, McAllister Salter, made three saves in the cage. Moreover, Siena added a goal by Elizabeth Wamp to cut deficit in half and make it a 4-2 game heading into the break.
 
Fairfield ended its scoring drought in dominant fashion and ratcheted up its defense in the third period. The Stags erupted for seven goals, while holding the Saints scoreless in the quarter, taking a commanding 11-2 lead. During the quarter, Fairfield had a trio record two goals and four different goal scorers total that included Kelly Haggerty (2), Macleod (2), Kyleigh Tufano (2), and Haley Burns (1).
 
Fairfield’s rally bled into the final frame, with the team’s run extending to 9-0, ultimately putting the contest out of reach with a 13-2 advantage. Siena stopped the run and ended its scoring slump with a goal by Olivia Nicholson with 7:41 top play, before tacking on one more goal from Cassidy Morrow with a few minutes to go, resulting in the 13-4 final score.
 
Fairfield Notes and Notables
  • Fairfield was superior in all facets of the game.
  • They controlled the offensive tempo and possessions, winning more draw controls (12-7), having a 17-18 clear rate, nearly doubling up the Saints in shots (30-16) and holding the edge in shots on goal (17-7).
  • Defensively, the Stags picked up more ground balls (16-12), force more turnovers (15-13), and had more caused turnovers (8-7).
  • Macleod’s career day led to championship Most Outstanding Player honors.
  • She finished with career-highs of six points and six goals, taking a team-most 10 shots.
  • Macleod had entered the game with eight career goals and her career game-high in goals were two up until today.
  • Tufano recorded her second straight hat trick of the tournament, coming off six shot attempts.
  • Kelly Haggerty put together a three-point day behind a pair of goals and one assist, while also picking up two ground balls.
  • Burns and Mary Henry were the final Stags to score goals, logging one goal and one assist apiece.
  • Leading Fairfield in draw controls, was Brynn Donnelly, with her game-high nine draw controls.
  • Sophia Colasacco picked up a team-high four ground balls.
  • Earning the win in goal was Whitney Robinson who made four saves and scooped up two ground balls in the decision.
  • Fairfield won its 11th straight game, improved to 15-3 on the season, and remain perfect against MAAC opposition in 2026 (10-0).
  • The Stags continued their dominance over the Saints, as they’re now a perfect 8-0 all-time against Siena in MAAC postseason play and 4-0 in championship games, having beat the Saints previously in 2019, 2021, and 2024 for the trophy.
  • Additionally, Fairfield has ended Siena’s postseason in six out of the last seven tournaments.
  • Fairfield wins its seventh title over the past eight seasons and has now won a MAAC-leading 10 women’s lacrosse championships in total.
  • The Stags punch their eighth consecutive NCAA postseason berth – 10th overall since 2009 – which included the first-ever at-large bid in MAAC women's lacrosse history in 2024.
 
Siena Notes and Notables
  • Connolly, Morrow, Nicholson, and Wamp each scored a goal in the championship matchup.
  • Morrow added an assist to lead the team with two points.
  • Wamp led the Saints with four shots, while Connolly took three shots.
  • Faye Gorman picked up three ground balls and recorded three caused turnovers to lead Siena in both categories.
  • In net, Salter made seven saves.
  • Siena’s season comes to an end with an overall record of 12-7, the second-most victories in a single season.
  • Despite not winning the championship, Siena had a successful 2026 postseason run, becoming the lowest seeded team in MAAC history to make the title game, doing so as the fifth seed in the field.
 
Championship Game Notes
  • The 2026 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship final aired live nationally on ESPNU for the second year in a row.
  • With the four goals allowed by Fairfield, it marked the third time in MAAC history that a team only gave up four goals in the championship final – the fewest ever in the title game – with each of the previous two times also being against Siena (Fairfield in 2023 and Manhattan in 2005).
  • Fairfield head coach Laura Field won her seventh MAAC Championship, the most all-time by a head coach in MAAC history.
  • Fairfield becomes the first MAAC program in women’s lacrosse history to reach double digit championship trophies.
  • This was the seventh time in conference history a program has won at least two straight league championships.
 
Fairfield earns the MAAC automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The Stags will find out their opponent during the Division I Women’s Lacrosse Selection Show on ESPNU tonight at 9:00 p.m.
 
2026 Women’s Lacrosse All-Championship Team
Name School
Shannon Alden Quinnipiac
Cate Bendowski Quinnipiac
Maddy Gill Niagara
Hannah Kent Niagara
Cassidy Bonura Siena
McAllister Salter Siena
Elizabeth Wamp Siena
Tessa Caputo Fairfield
Brynn Donnelly Fairfield
Kelly Haggerty Fairfield
Kyleigh Tufano Fairfield
Sara Macleod - MVP Fairfield
 
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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