FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team will make its second ever trip to the NCAA Tournament when they face Boston University on Wednesday. The game will be played at New Balance Field on the campus of Boston University at 1:00 pm. Wednesday's game can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.
Fairfield (9-9, 3-3 MAAC) vs. No. 15 Boston University (14-6, 6-0 Patriot): The Stags are 0-9 all-time against the Terriers. The last matchup between the two sides was on October 27, 2012, the Terriers won 6-2.
A Look at the Terriers: Boston University posted a perfect 6-0 record in the Patriot League and defeated Bucknell and American University in the conference tournament. The Terriers are in the National Tournament for the second consecutive year after successfully defending their league title. It is their 12th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament. The team is led offensively by senior midfielder Sofi Laurito and junior defender Bea Baumberger. Laurito leads the team in goals (14) and points (31) while Baumberger is the team leader in assists (14).
MAAC Tournament: The Stags played their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 2015 and finished 3-3 in conference play, clinching the fourth seed in the postseason tournament. In the semifinals Fairfield knocked off top-seeded Monmouth by a score of 2-1. Then in the finals they shut out second seeded Quinnipiac 2-0. It was just the second time all season that they held an opponent scoreless.
MAAC Awards: The team was well represented on the MAAC All-Championship Team as Erin Buckley, Caitlin Bennett, Ann Burgoyne, and Julie de Paeuw were all recognized. Buckley, a sophomore defender, was also named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player for her role on the Stags defense.
Back To The Big Time: The Fairfield University field hockey team makes its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The first time they qualified for the tournament was in 2001 as a member of the Patriot League. That season the team finished with an 11-11 overall record and 4-3 in league play. They defeated Lafayette in the league championship by a score of 2-0. After capturing the Patriot League that season, Fairfield was sent to the University of Maryland, the number two seed in the 2001 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. The Stags fell to the Terrapins by a 7-1 count as Iza Kotowski scored the team's lone goal that afternoon.
Stag Attack: The Fairfield offense is ranked 24th in the nation with 2.61 goals per game. During conference play the Stags really turned it on scoring 20 goals in the six games for a 3.33 goals per game average. Junior forward Ann Burgoyne leads the team with 19 goals and 40 points this season. Her totals rank her fourth in the nation with 1.06 goals per game and sixth with 2.22 points per game.
Looking Ahead: The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to take on No. 2 seeded North Carolina on Saturday, November 14 at 11:30 am.
