LONG BEACH, Calif. – Gear up for another exciting season of Fairfield athletics. The women's soccer team will officially kick off their 2016 campaign over 3,000 miles from campus when they face the UC Irvine Anteaters on Friday night at 10pm EST followed by a contest against last season's nationally ranked Long Beach State 49ers on Sunday at 8pm EST.
THE 2016 SEASON: The Stags enter the 2016 campaign in an unfamiliar spot: the underdog. The Stags were pre-ranked eighth in the MAAC Preseason poll as they are coming off a season finishing ninth in the conference with a 2-5-3 league mark. Fairfield suffered from the injury bug in 2015 as only two players were able to check in to all 19 games. If they stay healthy this season, the Stags might have one of their deepest rosters in recent memory. Senior captain Anna Borea missed six games last season, but returns as one of the best defenders in the conference and looks to anchor the Fairfield back four. Borea is not the only senior who looks to rebound, as the Stags will return experienced strikers during the fall including: Sydney Arestivo, Cassidy Boegel, and Brenna Brown. Senior Pamela Coufos, who celebrated her 21st birthday on Wednesday, also comes back and will add depth to any position on the field. Molly Moran, who missed 11 games last season, is also expected to fight for a starting position in the midfield.
STAGS IN SEASON OPENERS: For the 15th-straight season, the Stags will open up their campaign on the road. Fairfield is 9-13-2 all-time during season openers, with their last win coming at Army in 2014.
THE ANTEATER SCOUTING REPORT: Fairfield and UC Irvine will see each other for the first time in program history when the two teams face off on Friday at 10pm EST. After four-straight seasons of finishing second in the Big West preseason poll, UC Irvine was selected seventh by the league's coaches with junior Kiana Palacios (who was a member of Mexico's U20 World Cup squad) as the lone representative of the Preseason squad. The Anteaters return their leading goal scorer in Palacios, but will add 11 new field players and two new goalkeepers into the 2016 mix.
THE 49ers SCOUTING REPORT: The Long Beach State 49ers received an at-large bid in the 2015 NCAA Tournament after securing the program's fourth Big West regular season title. The 49ers reached as high as 23rd in the national poll including one of the biggest wins in school history with a 1-0 win over No. 4 UCLA in front of a record crowd of 2,232 fans. Long Beach State would also record a 1-0 victory over No. 21 DePaul a few weeks later. The 49ers return seven starters from last season's historic squad including 2014 Big West Midfielder of the Year and 2013 Rookie of the Year Mimi Rangel, who has been a Big West First Team selection all three years. Asthon McKeon returns to mind the net for the 49ers after leading the Big West with a 0.59 goals against average and a .847 save percentage.
UP NEXT: The Stags will continue on the road, but much closer to their home field, when they take part in the Yale University Classic. The Stags will take on crosstown rival Sacred Heart on Friday at 7pm followed by a match against Bryant at noon.
