FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Jackie Goudreault's first career goal cut the Niagara lead in half, but the Purple Eagles would add another score and the Stags could not find the momentum as they fell to Niagara 3-1 to open the MAAC season. It is the first time that the Stags have started 0-1 in the conference slate since 2006, and only the third time in it's program history.
“Just very disappointed,” Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. “We had a game plan for Niagara and we worked on it extensively over the week and my team didn't respond and didn't follow the game plan at all.”
It took just over two minutes for Niagara (3-3-2, 1-0 MAAC) to touch the net first. Haillie Price was able to dribble down the near side and send an easy cross to the middle where Emily Phillips was witing and was able to tap it in for her first score of the year. Niagara took five of the next seven shots and Price was able to convert one of her own in the 30th minute. Price sent a beautiful lined shot from well outside the penalty area and threaded it right to the near post for her sixth goal of the season.
With those two goals, 12 of the 16 goals scored against the Stags have come in the first half.
Fairfield (3-6, 0-1 MAAC) almost got on the board in the opening period when Holly Habyan lined a free kick over the head of Niagara goalkeeper Claire Feiertag. Unfortunately, the ball slammed off the crossbar and the Stags were turned away.
Goudreault's goal made it a game in the 55th minute. The sophomore looped a ball which also went over the head of Feiertag, but this one was able to break into the net to make the score 2-1.
“It's one of those things when you're down in a game like that and you get forward and you get an opportunity it's worth taking a chance,” Coach O'Brien said. “That's one of the things we didn't do well was to make good decisions in the final third, and that time Jackie did.”
The goal for Goudreault was the first of her career and could have shown the impact the sophomore has made in a very productive season. Last year, Goudreault appeared in just six games, but has now transformed herself into an integral part of the Fairfield backline.
“We were very high on her last year,” O'Brien said. “The obstacle that Jackie had was that people like Megan O'Brien and Emma Pichl to name a few, she was competing against some top-level players. Now she has been able to step in and do a good job for us.”
The Stags had a few chances to tie the score when Brenna Brown and Jenny Jacobs had chances in the box, but both were turned away. The Purple Eagles notched their third score of the game when Shawnique Samuels put a cross under the legs of a Stags' defender and found the feet of Eva Brachmann who notched her first goal of the season.
Jenna Pike recorded a career-high eight saves as she saw 19 total shots. Fairfield had 13 total attempts but Feiertag recorded just four saves.
The Stags are back in action on Wednesday when they hit the road for the first time since August 23, when they travel to Stony Brook at 7pm.
