FAIRFIELD, Conn. (March 15, 2023) – It was cross-town rivalry action on Wednesday afternoon at Campus Field, as the Sacred Heart University women's lacrosse team locked horns with Fairfield. Lydia Werlau (Brewster, N.Y.) scored three times for the home-standing Pioneers, but SHU suffered a 15-7 defeat at the hands of the Stags.

Fairfield (5-3) scored the first six goals of the game, including a pair from Amanda Kozak, and never looked back. Sacred Heart (1-7) got on the board in the closing minutes of the first, on a goal from Grace Reinold (Braintree, Mass.). Fairfield then struck for the only six goals of the second quarter, including another for Kozak and two from Elizabeth Talluto, and the Stags took a 12-1 lead into halftime.

SHU got things going in the right direction after halftime, as the Pios held a 6-3 advantage in the second half, but could not dig themselves out of the early hole. Werlau scored once in the third and twice in the fourth to put together her third straight hat trick. Reinold added her second of the game in the waning minutes as well.

Werlau (3-0-3) and Reinold (2-1-3) finished as the only multiple-point scorers for the Pioneers. Claire McElhenny (Davidsonville, Md.) contributed in the midfield with five draw controls, five ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Three SHU goaltenders combined to make three saves on the afternoon, with Juliana Henry (Monroe, Conn.) starting and suffering the loss (1-4).

For Fairfield, Kozak (3-1-4), Ellie Grefenstette (4-0-4) and Libby Rowe (1-3-4) all finished with three points apiece. Rylee Harrell snagged five draw controls and caused a pair of turnovers, while Haley Burns picked up three ground balls. Casey Collins (5-2) went the distance in the Fairfield crease and made eight saves against 15 shots.

SHU pays a visit to Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday for its NEC opener, at 1 p.m. in Loretto, Pa.