FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's lacrosse team came up short on Wednesday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, falling to cross-town rival Fairfield University by a final score of 13-7.

Junior attacker Maggie Araneo led the Pioneers offensively, posting a team-high four points with two goals and two assists. Taylor Farace also turned in a solid performance, adding a pair of goals for Sacred Heart. 

Defensively, the Pioneers caused problems for the Stags, forcing 14 turnovers. Madelyn Breitbeil and Maci Black each tallied a team-best three caused turnovers, while Brooke Gyllenhaal and Lisa Martin contributed with two apiece to highlight a strong effort on the defensive end.

Records:
Sacred Heart (6-8, 4-3 MAAC)
Fairfield (8-7, 6-1 MAAC)

Top Performers:
Maggie Araneo – 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists)
Taylor Farace – 2 points (2 goals) | 2 ground balls
Madelyn Breitbeil – 3 caused turnovers | 3 ground balls
Maci Black – 3 caused turnovers | 1 ground ball
Erin Herrold – 2 draw controls 

Between the Pipes:
(SHU) Lisa Martin (L, 5-8) – 13 goals-against | 7 saves

How It Happened:
The Stags wasted no time, getting on the board just 55 seconds into play as Grace Slater scored her first of the day to give Fairfield an early 1-0 lead.

Sacred Heart quickly responded to Fairfield's early lead, with Farace scoring her ninth goal of the season, tying the score at 1-1. However, Fairfield didn't let up, scoring two unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead.

With 7:10 left, the Pioneers clawed back as Ellie Edwards scored her fourth goal of the season, narrowing the gap to 3-2. The Stags had the final say in the quarter, with Slater completing her hat trick in the final minutes, giving Fairfield a 4-2 lead after one.

The second quarter featured a momentum shift as Sacred Heart battled to close the gap. Maggie Araneo led the charge, scoring back-to-back goals over a two-minute span to tie the game at 4-4 and inject new life into the Pioneers' offense.

But just as they did in the first, Fairfield closed the second quarter strong with a 6-4 advantage, behind two unanswered goals, heading into halftime.

Sacred Heart continued to battle in the third, showing resilience after Fairfield added two quick goals to go up 8-4. The Pioneers answered with a strong offensive push - Adisyn Bernhardt scored off a setup from Jenna Lively, followed by Farace's second of the day - to close the gap to 8-6. 

Despite the late surge, Fairfield managed to sneak in a goal with 12 seconds remaining, taking a 9-6 lead at the end of the third.

The final period proved challenging for the Pioneers, as Fairfield put together a four-goal run to widen the gap, 13-6. 

With just under a minute to play, Shae Insinga found the back of the net off an assist from Maggie Araneo, capping off the game with a hard-earned goal.

Up Next:
The Pioneers close out the 2025 season at Campus Field on Saturday, April 19 against Iona at 4PM.