FAIRFIELD, CT – The Rider University women's lacrosse team was defeated by preseason MAAC favorites, Fairfield, Saturday afternoon, 17-7. The Broncs fall to 4-6 on the season, and 0-2 in league play, while the Stags improve to 4-6 overall and 2-0 in league play.
 
The Broncs got out to an early lead with Anna Devlin (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City[TCNJ]) and Selena Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North [Rutgers]) giving Rider a 2-0 advantage. The Stags would answer with a 7-0 run that closed out the first quarter and opened the second.
 
Katie Walsh (Marlton, NJ/Camden Catholic[FDU-Florham]) would stop the run, but Fairfield answered with two more goals before Elizabeth Shean (Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos) scored to send the game to the half with the Stags up 9-4.
 
Fairfield opened the second half with a 3-0 run, but Rider countered with goals from Walsh and Toni Gismondi (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford[VCU]) to trim the deficit to 12-6. Fairfield would close out the game with a 5-1 run.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Obviously today is not a result we want to see. Fairfield is pre-season number one, and they are the type of team you need to play close to perfect to be able to beat.  We started off the game strong with a very specific game plan, which was new compared to other games we had played in. Unfortunately, we were not able to execute the plan for 60 minutes. Our hope is to grow from this and move into next week stronger so we can get back on track in conference play." - Head Coach Evan Mager 

- Fairfield extends its lead in the all-time series to 2-0.
- Jamie Kubach (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter[FDU-Florham]) made the start in net, and played all 60 minutes, making nine saves, taking the loss.
- Walsh recorded her seventh hat trick of the season, and 14^th as a Bronc, with a team-high three goals.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Fairfield had a 35-24 edge in shots, and held a 26-14 edge in shots on goal.
- The Stags had an 18-16 edge in ground balls. Walsh led Rider with four. Erin Collins (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan[FDU-Florham]) added three.
- The Stags had a 16-11 edge on the draw circle. Madison Rothwein (Mount Royal, NJ/Kingsway Regional) led Rider with five draw controls in the contest. Walsh added three.
 
Up Next
Rider returns home for a 4 p.m. contest Wednesday against Mount St. Mary's.