FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team will take its first road trip of the season when they head to Philadelphia to face off against Drexel on Friday at 7:00 pm and Villanova on Sunday at 12:00 pm.
Fairfield (1-3) vs. Drexel (1-5): The Stags are 1-8 all-time against the Dragons. The last matchup between the two sides was last season at home when Drexel came out with a 3-0 victory.
A Look at the Dragons: Drexel is 1-5 this season and is led offensively by two upperclassmen in senior midfielder Danielle Grassi and junior midfielder Jessica McCarthy. Grassi and McCarthy are tied for the team lead with four points each. The senior has two goals while the junior has one goal and two assists. Two goalkeepers have split time in cage this season for the Dragons. Junior Ainslie Rhoads and freshman Erin Gilchrist each have made five appearances this season, with Gilchrist earning the latest start in a 5-1 win over Central Michigan. The duo has combined for 44 saves and a 3.07 goals against average this season.
Fairfield vs. Villanova (1-5): The Stags are 1-2 all-time against the Wildcats. The last matchup between the two sides was last season at home when the Stags claimed a 4-2 victory.
A Look at the Wildcats: Villanova battled Penn in a 3-2 loss on Wednesday and is looking for their second win of the season. The team was led by two midfielders in sophomore Francesca Bello and junior Kristen Mericle. The junior knocked in two goals against the Quakers and leads the team with nine points off four goals and one assist. Bello recorded two assists in Wednesday's game and is second on the team with eight points off two goals and four assists. Freshman Erika Miller has started every game for the Dragons in net. She has recorded 40 saves and posts a 2.40 goals against average this season.
Last Time Out: The Stags found themselves in a 2-0 hole just eight minutes into the game against UC Davis on Friday night. The Aggies were able to able to score less than a minute into the game to give them the early lead. The Stags would answer with two of their own to tie the game going into the break. The first score came off a breakaway goal by Ann Burgoyne, notching her fifth goal of the season. Senior Erin Connors was the recipient of a Jamie Appelberg cross and finished with a goal of her own, the first of her career. Jamie Garcia would end the scoring drought for the Aggies and put her team in the lead. Sophomore defender Erin Buckley led the way with four total shots including three on goal. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Bennett started in cage for the third straight game and made six saves.
National Notice: Junior forward Ann Burgoyne sits tied for eighth in the nation with 1.25 goals per game and tied for 11th with 2.50 points per game. Burgoyne has five goals on the season thus far and leads the team in that category. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Bennett also finds her name among the nation's best, ranked 18th with 6.67 saves per game. Bennett has started the last three games for the Stags recording 20 saves overall.
Looking Ahead: After the weekend, the Stags come home for a weekday match up against Hofstra on September 23.
