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FAIRFIELD, Conn. - On Wednesday afternoon, the Manhattan College women's lacrosse team visited a Fairfield squad that had won 27 consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season contests. Unfortunately for the Jaspers (3-9, 1-2 MAAC), that streak reached 28, as the first-place Stags (9-3, 4-0 MAAC) notched a 14-4 victory at Lessing Field.
Fairfield got on the board first when Courtney Chmil found the back of the net at the 21:39 mark of the first half. The Stags added three free position tallies later in the period to take a 4-0 advantage into halftime.
Manhattan trimmed its deficit to three when Donna Jo DiNorcia (Verona, N.J.) scored a free position goal with 28:13 remaining in the second half, but Fairfield quickly responded with two goals in a 42-second span to make it 6-1. DiNorcia connected with Chrissy Gutenberger (Stony Point, N.Y.) for a tally that brought the Jaspers within 6-2 at the 22:07 mark before the Stags rallied for four consecutive goals. Clare Kerrisk (Keansburg, N.J.) scored a pair of late goals for the Jaspers before Fairfield finished out the scoring. With the 14-4 victory, the Stags clinched a berth in the MAAC Tournament.
The Jaspers won 13 of the 20 draws and held a 20-19 edge in ground balls. Goalkeeper Christina Fiorinelli (Massapequa, N.Y.) collected a team-high seven ground balls to go along with nine saves. In addition to her two points (one goal, one assist), DiNorcia registered three draw controls, while Kerrisk and Caitlin Hynes (Mahopac, N.Y.) both corralled three ground balls.
Melanie Raso had four goals, five draw controls and four caused turnovers for the Stags. Caitlin Townsend scored three goals, while Jamie Leone notched a goal and two assists. Amanda Best added two goals and a team-high four ground balls, and Chmil also posted a pair of goals for Fairfield. Katie Keenan made seven saves in goal to earn the win.
The Jaspers conclude the regular season with two straight home contests. Manhattan hosts Niagara (3-7, 0-3 MAAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Gaelic Park.
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