#6 MOUNT ST. MARY'S (4-12, 3-5 MAAC) vs. #3 NIAGARA (11-6, 5-3 MAAC)
Sunday, April 30^th | 12 p.m.
Lewiston, N.Y. | Niagara Field  
 
GAME NOTES | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
EMMITSBURG, Md. (April 29, 2023) – To clinch a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse faces an uphill climb as the #6 seed in the MAAC Championship. The first test is the Niagara Purple Eagles, the #3 seed in the field.
 
MOUNT UPDATE

Victories against Iona and Marist down the stretch secured the postseason spot, as well as a March win over Niagara that served as the tiebreaker with the Gaels to punch the Mount's ticket.
 
Defense was the primary factor helping carry the Mount into the postseason. The team is third for ground balls and caused turnovers, picking up 302 and causing 150. Margaret Lonergan and Abigail Zeigenfuse supplied the most stats, beginning with Lonergan's 31 caused turnovers and ground balls. Zeigenfuse had 38 GB's with 21 CT's. Madison Bradley in net saved 149 shots, registering saves 46 percent of the time.
 
Offense, however, saw its share of struggles throughout the year. 20 goals against Marist played a large role in pushing the team to eighth in the MAAC with 154 goals scored. Dani Donoghue had the most goals with 32, with Abby Osmeyer trailing right behind at 31.
 
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES

Niagara replicated its MAAC finish from a year ago, ending league play at 5-3 with a winning overall record. The Purple Eagles won five of their last six entering the postseason.
 
Scoring 213 times for the year, Niagara stood second in offense behind top-seeded Fairfield, while also standing runner-up in the MAAC for ground balls and caused turnovers. Rachel Crane matched Kerri Guttenberger of Marist for the highest number of goals in the conference at 51. Lexi Braniecki has the most points for Niagara with 55 – 44 goals and 11 assists. Sydney Huhtala leads in ground balls and caused turnovers with a respective 38 and 36.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES

The Mount has won four of six meetings against Niagara, including the 15-14 overtime win last March in Emmitsburg. Erin Anderson scored the game winner in the golden goal scenario. It was the team's first win over Niagara in the new millennium.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE

May 5^th is the MAAC semifinals in Fairfield, Connecticut should the Mount advance.