NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Game 15
Niagara Purple Eagles (7-7, 4-1 MAAC) vs. Marist Red Foxes (8-5, 4-1 MAAC)
Wednesday, April 18 – 4:00 p.m.
Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field – Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
With prime positioning in the upcoming MAAC postseason tournament on the line, Wednesday’s meeting between Niagara and Marist has plenty of extra weight to it for both squads. At 4-1, both teams have been assured a berth in the playoffs, but the Red Foxes overall record currently gives them the tiebreaker over the Purple Eagles for a coveted first-round bye.
Last Time Out
- The Purple Eagles picked up a big road win at Monmouth on Saturday, 18-10. The team went on a pair of four-goal scoring streaks in the second half to pull away from the Hawks and seal the victory.
- MAAC Offensive Player of the Week Rachel MacCheyne led the team offensively with six points (6 G, 2 A). MacCheyne also picked up seven draw controls and converted three of her five free position shots.
- Caroline Crump (3 G, 2 A), Shea Swartwout (3 G, 1 A), Alexis Morales (2 G) and Grace Hunt (1 G, 1 A) all had multi-point performances as well.
- Alexandra Higgins won 10 draw controls, caused three turnovers and raked in three ground balls. Her third ground ball pickup of the game was the 148th of her career, which surpassed Kara Martin (2014-17) and set a new program record.
- Defensively, the Purple Eagles allowed just 19 total shots, the fewest any opponent has had so far this season, besting the 21 they held Siena to on April 11.
On the Field: Niagara Purple Eagles (7-7, 4-1 MAAC)
- Niagara’s offense ranks second in the MAAC in shots per game (30.86), shots on goal per game (22.14), points per game (17.21) and is third in goals per game (12.36).
- The Purple Eagles’ 14.00 draw controls per game and 20.36 ground balls per game rank second-most in the conference for both categories.
- Rachel MacCheyne leads the MAAC with 46 goals and is second in the conference in points (61), points per game (4.36), goals per game (3.29), shots per game (7.50) and is third in the MAAC in draw controls per game (6.77). She has scored three or more goals in 10 of Niagara’s 14 games.
- Caroline Crump ranks second on the team in goals (36), points (49) and shots (95) and is third in assists (13). Crump’s three game-winning goals are tied for the most in the conference.
- Lauren Paul is fourth in the conference with 2.83 ground balls per game and fifth with 1.50 caused turnovers per game.
Chasing Milestones
- Caroline Crump has 97 career goals and is on track become the fifth player in program history to reach the 100-goal mark for her career.
- Alexis Morales has 99 career points after recording two goals against Monmouth on Saturday.
On the Field: Marist Red Foxes (8-5, 4-1 MAAC)
- The Red Foxes opened conference play 3-0, and after a setback against Canisius on April 11, bounced back to topple Fairfield 11-10 on Saturday.
- Samantha Mehalick led the scoring against Fairfield with five goals on eight shots. Her 3.46 goals per game is the only average higher than Niagara’s MacCheyne throughout the MAAC.
- Hailey Wagner is the only conference player thus far with more than 100 draw controls, having won 112 and averaging 8.62 per game.
- Delaney Galvin leads all MAAC goaltenders in save percentage, stopping 55.3 percent of the shots she has seen this season. She also has the highest save per game average in the conference with a line of 13.27. As a team, Red Foxes goalies have a .548 save percentage, tops in the league.
- As a team, Marist ranks second among MAAC schools in terms of goals per game, averaging 12.62 goals an outing.
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