The Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team will play top-seeded Fairfield in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) semifinals on Friday, April 30. The matchup comes after Quinnipiac, seeded sixth, upset Canisius in the quarterfinals.
This game is significant as Quinnipiac seeks its first-ever berth in the MAAC Championship game. The winner of Friday’s contest will advance to the final, scheduled for Sunday at Fairfield and televised nationally.
Fairfield has won all 18 previous meetings between the two teams since 2010. However, recent games have been close; their last encounter ended with a 17-13 win for Fairfield after a decisive second-quarter run. Anna Givens and Cate Bendowski each contributed four points for Quinnipiac during that match.
Quinnipiac’s offense features Emma Miller-Ayala and Julia Givens, who are among the top four players nationally in shot percentage. Miller-Ayala leads with a conversion rate of 63.2 percent, while Givens follows closely at 60.9 percent. Mia Delmond leads the team with 42 goals this season.
Cate Bendowski recently broke a program record by reaching 77 points this season and was named to the MAAC First Team All-Conference alongside Miller-Ayala. In total, five Bobcats earned All-MAAC honors this year—a program first for multiple First Team selections.
The team has made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since joining the league and achieved consecutive winning seasons not seen since 2011. With key players returning from last year’s roster—including Shannon Alden, Mia Delmond, Cate Bendowski, Anna Givens, and Emma Miller-Ayala—the Bobcats look ahead to facing perennial NCAA Tournament contenders next season.
