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FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- It's been a long time since the men's soccer team set their collective boots on Lessing Field, five weeks to be exact. Even though the season started at the end of August, Fairfield has played just one home game to date and that was a match up against Columbia University on September 2.That all changes this weekend as the team hosts Canisius College on Friday night at 7 pm and Niagara University on Sunday at 1 pm.



Since their last home game, the Stags played six road games including a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) games last weekend. Head Coach Carl Rees watched his team win both conference contests - a 2-1 decision over Loyola and a 3-2 overtime result against Rider - to earn top billing in the MAAC standings. With a split of those six road games, Fairfield enters this weekend with a 3-4 overall record.

The team has received a boost from freshman Jordan Ayris, who earned the MAAC Player of the Week award after scoring two goals and an assist in two games a week ago. He assisted on the first goal and scored the game-winner against Loyola before netting the team's first goal against Rider. The forward leads the team with nine points and places third in the MAAC with 1.29 points per game.

Jon Clements, Keaton Cristobal, and Daniel Shaw are next in line with three points each, all scoring a goal and an assist in seven games. All four players have been the basis of the Stags' recent offensive explosiveness, scoring five goals in their last two outings. Before those games, Fairfield has tallied four goals in five games.

Defensively, goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe remains the foundation with his 1.69 goals against average and .676 save percentage. He has made 25 saves in seven games, averaging nearly four stops per game. The back line of Adam Cowen, Jonny Raj, and Jack Cleverley have also been instrumental in the team's defensive success.

Canisius enters Friday night's game with a 3-6-1 overall record and a 1-0-1 MAAC mark. The Golden Griffs knocked off Siena College in their conference opener, a 2-0 decision courtesy of goals from Regan Steele and Gavin Falconer. Falconer is one of three student-athletes with four points, accounting for his points with a pair of goals. Jared Ott (two goals) and Sam Zarka (one goal, two assists) are tied with Falconer for the lead. Goalkeepers Ryan Arvin (0.84 goals against average) and Kareem Gray (2.08 goals against average) have split time in the Golden Griffs' net.

Niagara looks to improve on its 6-2-2 overall record and 1-0-1 MAAC slate on Sunday afternoon. The Purple Eagles come off a win against Marist (1-0) and a tie with Siena (1-1) and have a 4-1-1 record over their last six games. Carl Haworth is the conference's top scorer with 21 points, tallying seven goals and seven assists. Bryan Da Cruz places second among his teammates with eight points, scoring two goals and four assists. Brett Petricek has spent every minute in the Niagara goal, sporting a 0.76 goals against average with a .855 save percentage.