The Fairfield University women's soccer team makes its home debut this weekend as it hosts the Fairfield Women's' Soccer Invitational on Lessing Field, Friday and Sunday. The Stags home opener comes at 7 p.m. on Friday night versus American University.
Fans attending the tournament will receive $1 admission to the Friday matches if they are wearing Fairfield apparel. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under on both days of the tournament, while Fairfield students are admitted free with student ID. In addition, 25 Fairfield students that attend the game will receive a free Fairfield Soccer scarf during the game on Friday.
Any fan wearing Fairfield apparel to the Friday double header will be admitted for $1. On Sunday, and CFC Youth Player wearing their team jersey will receive free admission. There will be Fairfield Soccer posters given away on Friday, while following Sunday's game, children 12 and under get meet the Stags and get autographs.
The Invitational features the Stags, American, The College of the Holy Cross and the University of Hartford in four games. The Crusaders and Hawks kick-off the event on Friday at 4 p.m. Action begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 15, with American and Hartford and the Stags take on Holy Cross in the finale, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday. Livestats are available for all four matches at FairfieldStags.com.
The Stags opened the 2013 season with four consecutive road games, earning their first win on September 5, a 2-1 win over Hartford. Ashley Small, who has two goals on the year, netted the game-winning tally in that contest with 76 seconds remaining in regulation. Megan O'Brien put the Stags in position for the win, tallying the equalizer six minutes after Hartford jumped ahead in the first-half. The tally was the junior backs first as a collegiate player and her first career points. Both of Small's goals have been assisted, with Erin Pettersen feeding her for the game-winner at Hartford and Nikki Stanton for the goal at Wagner.
Fairfield has been outshot by just one, 54-53, over the first four games of the year, while having a 21-18 edge in corner kick chances. Foes have scored six times on the year, with two assists. Kathleen Early has minded the net for all 360 minutes the Stags have played this fall and has stopped 16 shots on the year.
The Stags are hosting the Fairfield Women's Soccer Invitational for the second time in three years. Fairfield went 1-0-1 in the 2011 event to capture the crown, defeating Holy Cross and tying Syracuse. The Crusaders were 1-1 when they appeared in the 2011 event, while the Orange went 0-0-2 and Central Connecticut was 0-1-1. Current Fairfield assistant coach Kelly Boudreau was named the MVP of the tournament and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Nikki Stanton.
Fairfield and American are meeting for only the second time, both coming in tournament settings. The Stags dropped the Eagles 1-2 in the opening game of the 2010 Georgetown Invitational. The Eagles come to Connecticut at 2-4 following a 1-0 win over George Mason at home on Tuesday. Marley Jennings and Lindsay Muri both have four points for the Eagles, each scoring two of the team's five goals. Six different players have an assist this season as well. Opponents have scored eight times, with 10 assists on the year. Charlene Belanger has played 358 of the team's 540 minutes and has a 1.51 GAA with 24 saves. Sarah Dejak has seen 183 minutes of action and stopped five shots with a 0.98 GAA.
The Stags and Crusaders have played in seven of the last eight seasons and are meeting for the third consecutive year. Fairfield is 8-1-1 all-time in the series and brings and has won each of the last eight meetings. The Stags defeated Holy Cross 2-1 last season in Worcester, Mass., in double-overtime , as Shannon Fay scored twice. Holy Cross earned the win in the program's first-ever meeting, 2-1, in 1992 and the two squads played to a 1-1 draw the following season. Fairfield earned its first win of the series in 1994, 2-1, and has not lost since.
Holy Cross is 0-4-1 after falling 1-0 to Bryant at home on Tuesday. The Crusaders have yet to score a goal on the year, playing to a 0-0 draw with Quinnipiac on September 8, but have only allowed five goals against them this season. Carly McCabe has played 470:26 in net and made 17 saves and comes into the weekend with a 0.96 GAA.
