FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Stags are still learning. Tonight, the Stags ran into a physical and athletic Drexel team and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Dragons to close out the first night of the Fairfield Invitational. Sara Plowman was the lone Stag to get in the scoring column, as she booted a pass from Karolyn Collins for her first career goal.

Drexel (2-1) scored the first three goals of the contest, two from sophomore Madison Dunn.

The Dragons controlled play in the first half, although Fairfield (1-2) would out-shoot Drexel in the box score (9-7). Shaelyn McCarty was the first Dragon to touch net, after she smashed a long kick from well outside the box, which hit the top left corner of the net to give Drexel a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, Dunn headed her first goal of the night, heading in a deflection, which gave the Dragons a 2-1 advantage. The first half could have been worse, but Anna Borea made a defensive save on a shot by Jacki Sieder. Borea came across from the right side and took the shot off her chest as the final person on the line.

Fairfield picked up the intensity in the second half, and did so with contributing players that gave the Stags extra life. Jackie Goudreault, Faith Daley, and Kelsey Burke, all gave the squad valuable minute in the second half and almost turned the momentum of the game. Grace Landers was also dynamic on the defensive front and match the physicality of the Dragons.

That was shown when Plowman scored her first career goal. Collins took a shot that deflected off a defender and came right at the feet of Plowman who crushed it in the goal.

After that goal, which made it 3-1, the Stags still had 20 minutes to try and pull off the comeback. Fairfield would attempt four shots, three by Jenny Jacobs, but none found the back of the net.

Jenna Pike made four saves in her first career home start. The Stags out-shot the Dragons 16-15, while Drexel had a 3-2 edge in corner.

Fairfield is back in action as they close out the Fairfield Invitational against the Preseason NEC favorite, Central Connecticut on Sunday at 2pm.