ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Three players notched hat tricks for the University at Albany women’s lacrosse team in its’ 17-13 home win over reigning MAAC champion Fairfield University Wednesday afternoon. The win was the first for the Great Danes’ on the young season.

Key Stats

Head Coach Katie Thomson: “This was a great team win and I’m so proud of the preparation and growth we showed today.  The draw unit was focused and worked together to gain valuable possessions for our team, while both sides of the ball executed the game plan.  We will continue to work on our consistency throughout the full 60 minutes, and we can’t wait to get back to work with this group.”

How it Happened

  • UAlbany welcomed Fairfield to John Fallon Field on Wednesday, marking the first time in history the two programs had played against one another.  For UAlbany, it was the second such opponent of the early season, having met Johns Hopkins for the first time in their season opener.  Fairfield arrived at the game as the four-time defending MAAC champions.
  • The Stags struck first, less than two minutes after the opening draw, to take a quick, early lead.  UAlbany responded with goals from Katie Pascale, fresh of a nine-point effort against Cornell, and Ava Poupard, to put the Great Danes up 2-1.
  • Fairfield tied the game at two with 6:13 left in the first before UAlbany rolled off each of the next three to close the opening period and start the second leading 5-2.  Five UAlbany players scored the Great Danes’ first five goals.
  • The Stags opened the second quarter with a score to end UAlbany’s run but surrendered each of the next to, giving UAlbany a 7-3 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining before halftime.  Pascale had recorded seven total points in the first half, on four goals and three assists, one game after scoring nine points on five goals and four assists against Cornell.
  • Fairfield scored the first two goals of the third quarter, with 14:03 and 8:43 on the clock, respectively.  The Great Danes closed the third quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 16-7 lead into the final period.
  • Fairfield rolled off six straight goals over the bulk of the final quarter before Pascale added her fifth and final goal of the afternoon with 22 seconds remaining, bringing her total to nine points for the second-straight game.  The Great Danes managed a total of 33 shots against the Stags, 26 of which were on target.  UAlbany also commanded the draw, winning 23 of 34. 

Next: UAlbany visits Brown on February 25.