FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield field hockey finishes up America East play this Saturday, October 29 when they face Boston University at 2 p.m. The following day, the Stags will play Liberty University to celebrate their senior day and final game of the 2011 season.
Due to the winter storm approaching Fairfield, the game on Saturday versus the Terriers will not be webcast. Livestats will still be available. As of Friday afternoon, the webcast is still schedule for Sunday's game versus Liberty.
No. 18 Boston University has already qualified for the conference tournament with their 3-1 America East and 9-8 overall records. Last weekend the Terriers faced two ranked teams and finished with a split. On Saturday, the Terriers faced conference foe Albany in a double overtime battle. Boston came out on top with a 2-1 victory. Senior defender Kate Murphy had the game winning goal at the 86:29 mark and was assisted by Tabi Hatch. The first goal of the game for the Terriers came off the stick of Jacinda McLeod who is second on the team with a total point count of 17 breaking down to seven goals and three assists. On Sunday last week, Boston University dropped to Northeastern 4-1. The lone goal of that game was owned again by McLeod. Terrier goalkeeper Valentina Cerda earned 14 saves over the course of the weekend and owns a goal against average of 1.40 on the season.
Liberty University is 5-9 overall and most recently dropped to Appalachian State 2-3 on October 23. The Flames have been outscored 19-28 with point leader Helen Doolittle owning six of those goals. Ann Jefferis has clocked almost all of the minutes at the net for Liberty and has tallied 97 saves, three shutouts and a 1.98 goals against average. Liberty University added their field hockey program last fall after the 2010 season when they hired head coach Jodi Murphy. Because they were a first year program, the team competed as an independent program in 2011 and will be joining the NorPac Conference in 2012.
The four seniors that the Stags will be celebrating on Sunday are
Caitlin O'Donnell (Flourtown, Pa.),
Marit Westenberg (The Hague, Netherlands),
Hilary Burns (North Falmouth, Pa.), and
Leah Furey (Mt. Laurel, N.J.).
Goalkeeper O'Donnell finishes her career as a Stag with a total of five shutouts and posted her career high 15 saves in her sophomore campaign against the University of Connecticut. During her 2009 season, O'Donnell played in 15 of the team's 17 games posting 96 saves. The goalkeeper posted her first career shutout by making three saves in a 2-0 win against Bryant University. In her final campaign, O'Donnell has played in five games earning a goals against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .704.
Forward and Co-Captain Westenberg has been a leader for the Fairfield field hockey team since she arrived to the United States her freshman year. In the 2008 season, she tallied 15 points tying her for the team lead for top scoring honors. During her junior campaign, Westenberg finished with a team high 28 points, including 11 goals and six assists. The Stag earned All-America East honors for both her freshman and junior seasons. In her final campaign, once again she holds the top scorer spot for Fairfield, racking up a total of 18 points breaking down to seven goals and four assists.
Midfielder Burns had both a goal and assist for her senior campaign starting seven of her 16 appearances thus far. The Stag has provided dependable depth in the midfield position and has increasingly earned playing time over her years at Fairfield. She has doubled the number of shots she has taken in this year alone totaling 21 over her four years. Back to her freshman year, Burns scored her first collegiate points with a goal against Siena in one of 14 appearances she made that year coming off the bench.
Co-Captain and Midfielder Furey has tallied three points in her senior season with one goal and one assist. After having to sit out her freshman year due to injury, Furey has progressively earned more and more playing time and proven to be a significant asset to the Fairfield field hockey team. Making her debut in 2009, the Stag played in all 17 games with 15 starts, the most among Fairfield's first-year players that year. Over the years, Furey has been a key defender spending time in both the midfield and the back. After the 2009 season, she earned America East All-Rookie honors and was awarded in the classroom with a berth to the NFHCA National Academic Squad.
