FAIRFIELD, Conn. -  The rain poured down like a sheet, the wind gusted to over 30 miles per hour, temperatures dropped below 50 degrees, but Sarah Gerali will remember tonight as the most beautiful night of her life.  The junior netted her first career goal in golden fashion, scoring the game-winner to lift the Stags to a 2-1 overtime victory over Siena.

“I couldn't have been happier for Sarah,” Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. “She epitomizes what being a student athlete in our program should be with her hard-work and perseverance.  She is a coachable young lady who has earned the playing time and it was great to see her rewarded with her efforts.”

The rain damped the field throughout the entire match.  Combined with the wind knocking down punts and passes, the conditions were less than ideal in the Wednesday contest.  It took both teams nearly the entire first half to adjust to the rainy conditions, with the scoring happening in the final 50 minutes of the contest.

“Needless to say the condition was rough for both teams, not only the heavy rain but the wind was a major factor,” Coach O'Brien said. “Both teams did real well in adapting to the conditions. In the second half when we had the wind on our back, even though we got the one goal I thought that we should have put the game away.”

Fairfield (13-3-1, 7-1-0 MAAC) found the net first in the 53rd minute when Karolyn Collins booted a free kick into the box that Cassidy Boegel was able to kick in the back of the net after she slipped free of a defender.  It was the eighth of the season for Boegel which ties her for second in the MAAC.  Collins picked up her sixth assist of the season which ties her for the conference lead.

The lead lasted 20 minutes until Maria Jones was able to put a cross into the right side of the box where Siena's (6-6-5, 3-2-3 MAAC) leading scorer, Cassy Landis, was able to finish.  The goal was the sixth of the season for the junior who has scored all of her career goals during the 2014 campaign.

Fairfield nearly sent the 100 devoted fans home happy in the closing seconds.  With 10 seconds to go in the game, Ashley Small broke free on the left side and sent a cross to the far post where Collins was breaking.  However, the pass was just a bit to quick for Collins and the horn rang as the ball went out of bounds.

That set the dramatic stage for Gerali.  Five minutes into the first overtime, the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, Small had once again gotten free down the near side and sent a pass to Gerali at the top of the box. Gerali crossed the ball with her feet and scored in the right side of the net to give the Stags their second overtime victory of the season.

In the last regular season game of the season at Lessing Field, the Stags out-shot Siena 18-9 while the Saints had a 7-5 advantage in corners.  The reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, Taylor Booth, recorded seven saves for Siena, while Kathleen Early tallied one.

The Stags will finish their regular season on the road, needing just one victory to clinch a first-round bye in the MAAC tournament.  Fairfield will next play at Niagara on Saturday, October 25, with kickoff at 2pm.