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Canisius women’s lacrosse heads into its fourth conference game with a perfect 3-0 record in MAAC play. The Griffs defeated Siena in their last game Wednesday afternoon, by a score of 25-11, and have outscored their MAAC counterparts by a margin of 58-21 in the three wins.
The Griffs have the edge over the Hawks with a perfect 6-0 lifetime record, dating back to 2012. The Griffs won both games against Monmouth a season ago, with a 19-6 home win over the Hawks on April 16 and a 17-5 victory in the MAAC Championship Game at the Demske Sports Complex. The Griffs have a 2-0 road record against the Hawks, last gaining a 13-10 road win from West Long Branch, N.J. in 2015.
The Griffs have excelled on the road this season, winning 5-of-7 road contests. With the 25-11 win over Siena, Canisius has now won five straight games and 19 consecutive MAAC regular season games. Junior Erica Evans has excelled this season, leading the MAAC in goals (45), points (59), goals per game (3.75) and ground balls per game (3.42). Evans currently ranks fifth in the nation in goals, sixth in goals per game, 10th in points and 12th in points per game. Junior transfer Jen Reininger leads the MAAC in shot percentage (.649) and ranks third in the NCAA in the category. Reininger has now scored in each of her 12 games for the Griffs, recording season highs in goals (4) and points (6) in the win over Siena Wednesday. Sophomore Tessa Chad ranks second on the team in goals (30) and has five consecutive multi-goal games. Sophomore Jourdan Roemer has recorded four or more points in her last 4-of-5 games. Junior goalkeeper Rebecca VanLaeken ranks fifth in the NCAA in saves (120) and 16th in saves per game (10.00).
Monmouth has an overall record of 4-8, but has won 2-of-3 conference games this season. The Hawks have struggled at home this season, going 1-4, with their only win a 13-10 victory over Marist last Saturday. Olivia Higson leads Monmouth with 27 goals, while Nicole Ceraso leads the team with 40 points. The Hawks goalkeeper, Riley Brager, is 3-7 with a 13.44 GAA and a .426 save pct. Monmouth has been successful on free position attempts this season, scoring on over half of those shots (.511).
Evans set the Canisius career goals record, notching five goals and seven points, as the Canisius women’s lacrosse team defeated Siena 25-11 Wednesday afternoon from the Demske Sports Complex. Also having a career day was Roemer, who recorded career highs in points (8) and assists (5). Chad and junior Allie Stewart each set career highs in goals, with five. Chad also had a career-high six points. Chad, Evans and Stewart each recorded five goals in the win, the first time this season that three members of the team have recorded five tallies. Five members of the team scored six points or more, Roemer (8), Evans (7), Chad (7), Reininger (6) and Smolensky (6). The 25 Canisius goals were one away from the program record of 26, set against Binghamton during the 2002 season.
In the 25-11 win over Siena, Evans passed former Griffs Megan Oosting and Tori Quinn on the Canisius all-time goals list, on her fifth and final goal of the afternoon, and now has 155 tallies for her career. Evans becomes the youngest ever Griff to hold the career goals record, completing the achievement in only her junior season. Totaling seven points in the win, Evans also passed former Griff Ashley Gray for fifth on the Canisius all-time points list (197). Only four other players have reached the 200 point plateau for the Blue and Gold.
Evans has guided the Golden Griffins offensive attack with her league-leading 45 goals and 59 points. The preseason all-american also leads the MAAC in goals per game (3.75) and points per game (4.92). Evans currently ranks fifth in the nation in goals and 10th in the NCAA in points. The junior has totaled seven or more points in five consecutive games and has scored three or more goals in 8-of-12 contests.
