NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Maybe all the Stags needed was that first conference win, and that's what they earned on Saturday. Behind the first career shutout from Megan DeFeo and another goal from freshman Melanie Hingher, the Stags recorded their first MAAC victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Iona on the road.
“It's just going to give us a world of confidence,” Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. “It's basically all that we've needed. We've been unlucky the last three games and all we needed to do was get a win under our belt. I think we're going to start to roll.”
If the Stags can turn this momentum into a winning streak, they have two players to primarily thank. Hingher, a 6-1 freshman defender, again used her height to get the Stags on the board. In the 38th minute, her fellow rookie Jenn Wahlig sent a corner kick into the box and Hingher leaped and redirected the ball into the back of the net for her second score in as many games. That would eventually give the Stags a 1-0 halftime lead, despite two more shots on goal from Pamela Coufos and Julia McGuire. It was the third time in the first four MAAC contests that the Stags have held a halftime lead.
“Melanie Hingher was the most dominant player on the field today,” Coach O'Brien said. “Game in and game out, she's been one of our most consistent players. She won every ball in the air especially when we were ahead by a goal.”
Hingher also made her presence felt on the defensive side, helping a backline composed of her, Anna Borea, Elena Santos, and Maggie Walsh to limit Iona to 12 shots, with only two of those coming on frame. Those two shots that got past the backline were both hauled in by DeFeo, who notched her first career shutout in her first career start.
“It was great to see Meg get back out there,” O'Brien said. “She's been ready, she's been working very hard and she's been ready to step in for Jenna Pike. She did a great job and got us a shutout.”
Brenna Brown led the team with three shots and changed the pace of play in favor of the Stags with several key plays. The assist from Wahlig was the first points of her career as the freshman started her second-straight game in the midfield and combined with Faith Daley to control the defensive midfield.
With momentum going the Stags way, they will return home for one of the best atmospheres of the season. Fairfield will host the inaugural Kids' Day Out game by welcoming over 200 area youths on Wednesday at 11am against Saint Peter's.
