February 24, 1999
Fairfield University Stags (0-0) vs. Quinnipiac College Braves (0-0)
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 1 p.m.
This Week - The Stags will meet Quinnipiac in a non-conference matchup Saturday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. This will be the first meeting ever between the two schools. Fairfield is 1-5 in season openers and 2-4 in home openers. The Red and White owns a 20-15 overall home record.
Honors and Awards - College Lacrosse USA, one of the nation's top Internet sites for collegiate lacrosse information, named Spencer Steele (Lewes, Del.) to its preseason Honorable Mention All-America team. The 6-foot-2 junior attackman helped lead the Stags to their third consecutive undefeated Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship and first-ever ECAC Tournament title in 1998. Steele was Fairfield's leading goal scorer in 1998 with 41 and finished third on the team in overall scoring with 55 points. Steele is already fourth on Fairfield's all-time goals list with 79, fifth in points with 106 and seventh in assists with 27. He was the Stags' leading scorer in seven games in 1998 and tied a school record with six goals in a game versus Siena on March 28, 1998.
Captains - The Stags have two captains this season. J.T. Groarke (Garden City, N.Y.) ranked second on the team in scoring last season with 58 points (28G, 30A). The senior attacker was named the ECAC Tournament MVP last season, earned All-MAAC honors in 1997 and was the MAAC Rookie of the Year in 1996. Spencer Steele led the team in goals last season with 41 and registered 55 points. He was named MAAC Rookie of the Year in 1996.
Goaltenders - Fairfield returns two goalies who saw significant playing time last season. Josh Olson (Woodstock, Vt.) earned the most minutes (469) while recording a .517 save percentage and an 11.00 goals against average. Tom Brandel (East Northport, N.Y.) registered a 13.26 goals against average and a .475 save percentage in 285 minutes last season.
Scoring Punch - The Stags averaged close to 13 goals per game last season and return four of their top six scorers. In addition to the captains, sophomore middie Peter Shanley (Huntington, N.Y.) and junior attacker James Reichert (Nesconset, N.Y.) are back. Shanley tallied 26 points (18G, 8A), while Reichert recorded 24 points (19G, 5A).
Coach's Corner - Ted Spencer is in his fourth year as head coach of Fairfield lacrosse with a 30-18 record. He led the Stags to their third consecutive MAAC Championship last season, finishing the conference season with a perfect 7-0 slate. Fairfield has never lost a league game, compiling a 22-0 mark in three seasons. Under Spencer's guidance, the Red and White has garnered three straight bids to the ECAC Tournament with the Stags knocking off Colgate for the 1998 crown. He was named MAAC Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 1996.
Looking Ahead - Fairfield will meet Harvard at home Saturday, March 6, in a 2 p.m. matchup.
