FAIRFIELD, Conn. – It's a good thing when you can open up the season with four straight home games. And while Fairfield University Head Coach Jackie Kane and her Stags will enjoy that luxury in 2015, the team will have four formidable opponents to deal with in those opening weeks, including the University of Michigan on September 6.
“We always try to find non-conference opponents that will prepare us for our conference season,” Coach Kane said. “Our schedule includes opponents that will challenge us on the field and help us develop so that we are ready for the rigors of the conference season in October.”
Fairfield will open the season on August 29 when it hosts Colgate University for a 12 pm game. Labor Day weekend will place the Stags in play twice, beginning with a September 4 meeting with the University of Delaware. Less than 48 hours later, the nationally-ranked Wolverines come to campus for a noon start. The home stand ends on September 11 when Fairfield welcomes UC-Davis to University Field for a 4 pm start.
The road schedule catches up with Coach Kane and her squad as Fairfield will play five of its next six games away from campus. A weekend in the City of Brotherly Love starts the stretch with the Stags playing at Drexel University on September 18 and at Villanova University on September 20. The Drexel game represents one of two night games on this year's slate (7 pm).
The Stags return home for one game against Hofstra University on September 23 before embarking on a three-game road trip that sends the team to Providence (September 27), La Salle (October 2), and Harvard University (October 4).
Fairfield will begin its first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this season, kicking off its conference schedule with a home game against Monmouth on October 10 at 1 pm. The Stags field hockey program has spent the last eight seasons as a member of America East, making the last two conference tournaments.
“We have played many of the MAAC teams over the years so I think our teams and fans will be familiar with these programs,” Kane said.
The Stags' schedule continues with a road game against Rider University on October 16. Fairfield returns home for three straight games that commences with a non-conference match up against Columbia on October 18 at 1 pm. Fairfield continues the home stand with match ups against Bryant University (October 23) and Siena College (October 25). The team's final regular-season games are set for October 30 at Sacred Heart at 7 pm and November 1 at Quinnipiac at 1 pm.
The Fairfield University field hockey team finished the 2014 season with a 7-12 overall record and a 2-3 America East mark. The Stags qualified for the America East tournament, falling to 14th-ranked Albany in the semifinals by a 2-1 score. Coach Kane has most of the last year's team returning, including junior forward Ann Burgoyne and junior goalkeeper Caitlin Bennett.
Burgoyne earned the America East offensive player of the year award after breaking the school's single-season records for goals (19) and points (39). She finished fourth in the nation by averaging one goal per game (19 games). Bennett averaged five saves per game, owned a .725 save percentage, and sported a 2.19 goals against average. The Stags ranked in the NCAA top 25 for defensive saves, save percentage, and saves per game.
