BUFFALO — The Canisius women’s lacrosse team will head home for a matchup against Duquesne Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. from the Demske Sports Complex.
The Blue and Gold are coming off of a 1-1 weekend, with a win at Delaware this past Friday, 11-9, and a loss to No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday, 16-8.
The game Wednesday marks the second home contest for the team this year, losing to Columbia at the Demske, 12-11, on Feb. 25.
Junior Erica Evans leads Canisius in several categories including points (23), goals (19), caused turnovers (10), and is tied for the team lead in draw controls (16). Evans recorded her 119th goal in the loss to North Carolina, tying her for seventh place on the Canisius all-time goal list with Chelsea Martinez. Junior Lauren Smolensky leads the Griffs with 15 assists, and ranks second on the team with 19 points. Sophomore Tessa Chad ranks second on the team in goals, with 14, totaling five points (4g, 1a) on the weekend trip. Junior Rebecca VanLaeken recorded 17 saves in the 16-8 loss to the defending national champion Tar Heels, only three saves shy of tying the Canisius single-game record of 20 saves held by former-Griff Allison Daley.
Duquesne is 1-2 to begin the year with losses to Penn State (19-9) and Ohio State (17-5), while gaining an 11-10 win against Detroit Monday afternoon. The Dukes are led offensively by junior Jill Vacanti and senior Kaelin Shaw who each have totaled 10 points. Vacanti leads Duquesne with eight goals. Junior goalkeeper Emily McMinimee holds a 1-2 record with a 15.33 GAA and a .333 save pct.
The Griffs are 4-8 against the Dukes all-time, but have won the past two meetings between the two teams (2015 & 16). The Griffs won last year’s meeting by a score of 17-6, with Evans recording a then career-high with six goals.
After the matchup against the Dukes Wednesday, the Griffs will set their sights on the University of Michigan, who they will face Sunday at 1 p.m.
