NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- It may have not been designed that way, but the end result is what mattered. When Jon Clements sent a corner kick toward the center of the box, it was expected that a teammate would get a head on the cross, or maybe even a foot. While neither of those scenarios played out, the result was a goal when Clement's corner kick was mishandled by Yale's goalkeeper, resulting in a 1-0 win for the Stags.

The result presented the Bulldogs with their first home loss of the season, while it gave Fairfield's its first win of the season. Four of Fairfield's first five games have been decided by a goal, including three of the team's four road games this year.

Fairfield's victory may not have seemed like it would happen based upon the flow of the game. Yale outshot Fairfield by nearly a two-to-one count, holding a 15-8 advantage by game's end. The first half was where most of those Bulldog shots were recorded as the home team held a 12-4 edge during the first half. The two teams each managed four shots in the final 45 minutes.

Yale also was the overall leader in corner kicks by an 11-2 count. However, it was the Stags' second and last corner kick that was the difference in the game. Clements sent the ball from the corner into the box which goalkeeper Bobby Thalman appeared to have in his sights. While he was able to get his hands on the cross, he could not secure it completely and the ball squirted into the goal for a 1-0 Stags lead.

The Bulldogs had several opportunities by Stags goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe was able to turn away each of those opportunities. The goalkeeper finished the game with five saves to secure his first shutout of the season.

Fairfield does not play again until next Friday when it opens the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) portion of its schedule. The Stags will travel to Loyola University on September 30, followed by a road game against Rider on October 2.