FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University field hockey team fell to Harvard, 3-0, this afternoon at University Field. The Stags are now 4-3 when playing at home this season. 

Scoring started early, with Harvard's Hannah Wellington putting the Crimson on the board at 8:58. Wellington scored off a pass from Ellie Cookson during a penalty corner play. About 11 minutes later, Harvard took a 2-0 lead when Kaitlyn Boudah scored by deflecting a rebound shot by Elizabeth Jacobson.

Play continued until Harvard's Noel Painter netted the final goal of the game. Painter scored at 23:39 when she put back her own rebound. The Crimson took a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.

Harvard took the first two shots of the second half and controlled most of the offensive effort. Despite five penalty corners in the second half, the Stags' strong defense was able to keep the ball out of the net. At 53:55, Valerie Buurma blocked a shot by Harvard's Caitlin Rea, off a penalty corner, to make an impressive defensive save. Both teams continued to battle, but neither was able to score, yielding a final 3-0 victory for Harvard.

Fairfield's Felicitas Heinen took four shots while rookie Marta Laginja tallied one. Goalkeepers Caitlin Bennett and Emma Ball split time in the net for the Stags. Bennett faced five shots on the day, stopping two, while Ball recorded six saves. Harvard's Issy Davies tallied one save. 

Fairfield (5-10; 0-2 America East) will continue their three-game home stand. The Stags will host conference foe Albany on October 18 at 2pm before hosting America East opponent Vermont for their final home contest of the year. The Stags will face the Catamounts on October 24 at 3pm for Senior Day. Prior to the game, Fairfield will acknowledge their seniors and their contributions to the field hockey program.