2011 Digital Publication
The Fairfield University women's soccer team kicks-off the 2011 campaign on Sunday afternoon when it travels to Boston College for a 1 p.m. game. The Eagles, who are ranked fourth in the NSCAA preseason poll and advanced to the Final Four of the 2010 Women's College Cup, opened the season on Friday evening versus Boston University.
Jim O'Brien is back for his seventh season at the helm of the Stags and has one of the deepest rosters of his tenure. Leading the way is senior keeper Kelly Bourdeau who begins the season as the program's all-time leader in shutouts and is 75 saves shy of the career record in that category as well.
In front of Boudreau are two players that started every game for Fairfield a season ago. Senior Jackie Taylor is the most experienced defender on the roster, with 57 games on her resume. Sophomore Carly Beyar was a key in the 11 team shutouts last season, but also added a pair of goals on the offensive end of the field. Competition for playing time in the back will be fierce, as the Stags return six other backs with collegiate playing experience and add four rookies into the mix.
The midfield also has several veteran players that will give O'Brien on field leadership, as well as a scoring punch. Senior Spenser Allaway brings her speed and tenacity to the midfield. She has touched net 10 times in her career, with seven of those goals being the decisive tally of a game. Also in the mix is third-year sophomore Nikki Stanton, who started all 20 games last year, after missing 2009 with a knee injury. Her year of collegiate action has only improved her field vision and she has the potential to become one of the premier players in the conference. O'Brien has three other upperclassmen and a group of four freshmen that will compete for time on the field this season.
Fairfield has the potential up front to produce a good quantity of goals this season. The team's leading active scorer Jasmin Corniel, with 48 points, will look to return to her sophomore year form that saw her touch net 10 times and earned NSCAA Second Team All-New England accolades. Add to that mix the likes of junior's Lauren Reilly and Kasey Schulz, both of whom will play in the midfield as well, and sophomore Shannon Fay, and the Stags offense is in capable hands, with plenty of competition to push them along.
Fairfield and Boson College are meeting for the ninth time, with the Eagles capturing each of the previous eight meetings. In front of a record 931 fans, the Stags battled fifth-ranked Eagles to a 2-0 loss on Lessing Field last season. The Stags have scored just two goals in the series, the last in a 3-1 loss on the road in 2003, but have kept the margin within two goals in six of the eight games. The last time the two teams met in Chestnut Hill, Mass., 2009, the Stags fell 5-0, to the 23rd ranked Eagles.
