For the third consecutive outing the Fairfield University women's soccer team will take on an undefeated Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe when it travels to West Long Branch, N.J. for a 7 p.m. game Saturday with Monmouth University. The Stags are 6-4-1 overall and 2-0-1 in league play, while the Hawks are 9-1-0 and 3-0-0 in MAAC play.
Fans can watch the game online (PPV) or follow livestats (free).
Fairfield is unbeaten in league play, coming off of a 0-0 double-overtime win at home versus Quinnipiac University on Wednesday. The Stags are unbeaten in their last four games and are 6-1-1 in the last eight games it has played. In the current four game unbeaten streak Fairfield is outscoring foes 7-1 with wins over Yale, Saint Peter's and Marist.
Ashley Small, the reigning MAAC player of the Week is atop the team with seven goals and 15 points, ranking among the league's and nation's elite in goals scored this season. Nikki Stanton has recorded four assists on the year and is second on the team with eight points. Fairfield has scored 14 times this fall, with 11 assists, and 11 players have at least one point. Over the last eight games Fairfield is outscoring opponents 13-5, after being outscored 5-1 during a season opening three-game losing streak.
Kathleen Early posted the Stags four clean sheet of the year on Wednesday, her third, and in the process lowered her GAA to 0.80. She has 35 saves in her 785 minutes of action and enters play on Saturday night with a .833 save percentage.
The Stags and Hawks are meeting for the third time, and first as conference foes, with both teams winning a meeting each. The Hawks captured the first meeting, at Monmouth, 2-1, and the Stags earned a win at home in 1997, 4-0.
The Hawks are ranked 7th in the latest regional poll of the NSCAA and have won four straight, three in league play, and sit atop the conference standings with nine points. The Hawks are outscoring foes 21-5 on the year, including 9-1 in conference play. Leading the way is Alexis McTamney with seven goals and five assists for 19 points. Dana Costello has 13 points on the year, with a team-best seven assists. Ashley Lewis has started all 10 games in net, playing 873 minutes and has been part of seven shutouts. She has stopped 22 shots and has a .52 GAA and a .815 save percentage.
