FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team will host their home opener Friday afternoon against Penn at 4:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Stags will travel to New York City to face Columbia at noon.
 Fairfield (1-4) vs. Penn (3-1): The Stags are 1-1 all-time against the Quakers. The last matchup between the two sides was in 2014 when Fairfield fell at Penn 4-2.
 A Look at the Quakers: Penn has won two in a row heading into Friday's matchup, besting MAAC foe LIU Brooklyn, 6-0, and St. Joseph's, 5-4. The Quakers needed extra time to top the Hawks, but it was senior defender Claire Kneizys who tallied the game winner in the eighth minute of overtime. Junior forward Alexa Hoover leads the team with nine points this season and just became the all-time leading scorer at Penn with 103 career points. Junior goalkeeper Liz Mata has played all four games for the Quakers making nine saves and posting a 3.28 goals against average.
 Fairfield (1-4) vs. Columbia (2-2): The Stags are 4-9 all-time against the Lions. The last matchup between the two sides was last season at home when the Stags fell 7-4.
 A Look at the Lions: Columbia will play at Delaware on Friday night before hosting the Stags on Sunday. In their latest outing, the Lions topped Central Michigan 4-1. Senior forward Katie Ruesterholz poured in three goals on the day to bring her season total to six and give her a team leading 14 points on the season. Freshman Louisa Hollander is second best on the squad with seven points. Senior goalkeeper Kendall Kuntz had made all four starts in net, saving 18 shots and holds a 3.28 goals against average.
Last Time Out: This past weekend, the Stags competed in the Terrapin Invitational, falling to both American and Cal. Jaclyn Gallagher and Jamie Appelberg notched tallies against American in the 4-2 defeat. While Ann Burgoyne scored the lone goal in the 3-1 loss to Cal and in the process became Fairfield's all-time leading scorer with 46 career goals. Caitlin Bennett played the full time in both games posting nine total saves over the weekend.
Milestone Watch: Senior forward Ann Burgoyne has now compiled the most goals in Fairfield history with 46 career scores. The forward is also third with 101 points, just 11 shy of the record for a career. Julie de Paeuw can jump into the Top 10 this season as well, she has compiled 19 goals and 47 points over her career, sitting in 8th and 11th respectively on Fairfield's all-time lists. Goalkeeper Caitlin Bennett can add to her impressive career during her final season as a Stag. Currently she ranks fourth in games played (56), third in wins (25), third in winning percentage (.471), and sixth in goals against average (2.52).
 Looking Ahead: After their pair of games this weekend, the team will play their only midweek contest of the season on Wednesday, September 21 at Holy Cross. Â
Follow the Team: Follow Fairfield field hockey all season long on Twitter and Instagram using the handle @Stags_FH.
