ALBANY, N.Y. – The Fairfield University field hockey team fell, 2-1, to No. 14 Albany in the America East Tournament semifinal this afternoon at Alumni Turf. Senior Felicitas Heinen scored the lone goal for Fairfield. Heinen and sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Bennett were named to the America East All-Championship Team.

The Stags started off strong, with sophomore Camerann Smith taking the first shot just four minutes in. Albany changed the momentum of the game, and maintained possession of the ball for the rest of the half. Despite three penalty corners and nine shots on goal by the Great Danes, the Stags' defense and goalkeeper Bennett were able to keep the ball out of the net. Both teams battled, but the game remained scoreless heading into halftime.  

Both teams came back to the field with the same intensity for the second half. About two and half minutes in, Albany's leading scorer Paula Heuser put the Great Danes on the board when she scored off a penalty corner. The goal was assisted by Laura Page and Fiori Van Rijswijk. Play continued until Heinen netted a goal off a penalty corner, tying the game at 1-1. The goal was scored at 43:57 and was assisted by Valerie Buurma and Kaitlyn Taddeo.   

The battle continued for the next 10 minutes with neither team able to score. Fairfield's defensive line remained strong despite five shots from the Great Danes. At 54:52, Heuser found the back of the cage on a penalty stroke to score the go-ahead goal. Neither team was able to score again in regulation, yielding a final 2-1 victory for the Great Danes.

Goalkeeper Bennett faced 13 shots on the day, stopping 11, while Albany's Maxi Primus tallied three saves. The Great Danes outshot the Stags, 19-4, and had a 7-1 advantage in penalty corners.

Fairfield finished the 2014 campaign with a 7-12 overall record and posted a 2-3 mark in America East action. The Stags had many memorable moments this year, including Burgoyne and Heinen becoming the first Stags in program history to receive the America East Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Sophomore Burgoyne broke the program's single-season records for goals and points while senior Heinen topped the career charts for goals and points. The team was nationally ranked within the top-25 for defensive saves, save percentage, and saves per game and had two individuals rank within the top-25 for goals per game, points per game, and defensive saves. Five Stags earned All-America East accolades while three were placed on the America East All-Academic Team.