Box Score
The Fairfield University women's soccer team scored four second-half goals to defeat visiting Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Niagara University 4-0 on Lessing Field Saturday afternoon. The victory improves the Stags to 10-5-1 overall and 6-1-1 in league play, while the Purple Eagles drop to 4-11-1 and 3-4-1 in MAAC action.
With the win the 2013 Stags become the first team in program history to complete the home schedule without a loss, going 7-0-1 on Lessing Field this fall. The 1997 team posted a .900 home winning percentage, 9-1-0, while the 1998 and 1998 teams also lost just once at home.
After a scoreless first half the Stags wasted little time in getting on the board after the intermission. Brenna Brown (North Salem, Conn.) put home the first tally in the 47th minute, knocking home headed passes from Jac Ley (Marine, Minn.) and Emily Wieczorek (West Hartford, Conn.) Exactly 3:00 later Karyoln Collins (Norwalk, Conn.) took the ball to the end line on the near side and passed it along to the foot of Cassidy Boegel (Sudbury, Mass.) for the freshman's first career goal, making it 2-0.
The score would remain 2-0 until the final minutes of the game when Jessica Broadbent (North Haven, Conn.) assisted on consecutive goals 3:39 apart. Her first came on a corner from the near side, finding Sydney Arestivo (Northport, N.Y.) who fired the ball home from the top of the box at 81:57. Just under four minutes later Broadbent fired a corner from the opposite side which found the head of Anna Borea (New Canaan, Conn.) for her first collegiate tally.
The Stags defense was impressive once again, allowing just two Niagara shots in the game, with only one being put on net. Kathleen Early (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) stopped the one shot on goal in the second half for her sixth complete clean sheet of the season. Claire Feiertag (Ridgeway, Ontario) made six saves, five in the first-half, in a losing effort for Niagara.
The victory ensures the Stags of a winning season in 2013 as well as a bye into the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championship. Fairfield plays its final two regular season games on the road, travelling to Siena on Wednesday and Rider on Saturday.
