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Having snapped a five-game winless streak in its last outing, the Fairfield University women's soccer team returns to Lessing Field this weekend for a pair of crucial Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) contests.  The Stags will host Loyola University Maryland on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Rider University on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Stags are currently 2-2-1 in MAAC play and with seven points are in a tie with Rider and Siena for sixth place in the league standings, but just two points out of third place.  Loyola is part of a three-way tie, with Canisius and Iona, for third place, all at 3-2 and with nine points.  Marist leads the league at 5-1, 15 points, followed by 4-1 Niagara, with 12 points.

Loyola is the only MAAC school that has a winning record in the series with Fairfield all-time.  The Greyhounds have won 16 of the squads 30 meetings, including four of the last five contests.  The Stags, winners of seven games in the series, last earned a win, 3-0, in the semifinals of the 2008 MAAC Championships.  The Greyhounds won 2-1 in a rainy game on Alumni Field at Fairfield in 2009 and then 2-0 in Baltimore last season.  Fairfield's last home victory came in 1997, 2-1.

The Stags have had more success in the series with Rider, posting a 13-3-0 record all-time against the Broncs.  Fairfield has won six straight meetings in the series by a combined 17-2 mark, which includes a 2-1 overtime win in Lawrenceville, N.J. during the 2008 regular season.  The Stags defeated Rider 3-0 the last time the two sides met on Lessing Field in 2009.

Prior to Sunday's game Fairfield will honor the six members of its Senior Class.  Spenser Allaway, Kelly Boudreau, Jasmin Corniel, Alanna Locast, Bri Miller and Jackie Taylor will be playing their final home game as Stags that afternoon.  The group helped lead the Stags to the 2008 MAAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth and begin the weekend with 36 career victories.  Be sure to arrive early on Sunday to join the celebration of the Stags Class of 2012.

The Stags broke out of an offensive slump in a 3-1 win at Saint Peter's, with the three goals marking the team's first multi-goal game of the season.  Carly Beyar tallied the Stags first two goals in the game, both coming from Nikki Stanton.  Stanton is ranked third in the league with her six assists, which has her tied for the team lead in points.  Lauren Reilly has tallied a team best three goals, and is tied with Stanton at six points.

Fairfield has been equally difficult to score on, allowing only a dozen goals over the 14 games thus far.  The 0.86 goals per game allowed is the best number in the MAAC and the Stags are the only league team allowing less than a goal a game this season.  That number is even more impressive over the Stags five league games, having given up only three tallies, 0.60 per game.