FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team lost a 6-5 decision at Hofstra on Friday afternoon.
Their five goals tied the most they had scored in a single game all season. Senior Maclaine Matties notched three points on the day with her three assists, while Julie de Paeuw tallied two goals.
The Pride started scoring almost immediately as they recorded their first goal just five minutes in to the match. But five minutes later, Ann Burgoyne answered for the Stags with a goal of her own. Matties made a long pass into the circle where the forward was able to deflect the ball into the net to tie the score at 1-1.
Hofstra scored the next two in the 15th and 17th minute to take back the lead and gain a two goal advantage. Fairfield stopped the run when Erin Buckley was awarded a penalty stroke in the 27th minute and buried it to pull the Stags within one.
Just one minute later, the home side pushed their lead back to two with a goal off a penalty corner by Claudia Marin Samper. The Stags again responded with just 38 seconds left in the first half. De Paeuw was able to get a deflection off a backhanded shot attempt by Matties to cut the lead down to a single goal heading into the break.
In the second stanza, it was again a back and forth affair. Hofstra extended their lead in the 45th minute with a goal by Stella Schoen. And de Paeuw answered in the 50th minute off a penalty corner. Kaley McMullen inserted the corner, Jaclyn Gallgher made the stop, and de Paeuw fired home her second goal of the game.
The scoring slowed for nearly 10 minutes, but Schoen got back on the board for the Pride making the score 6-4 with under 10 minutes to play. Fairfield kept at it, as they always do, and found a goal in the 66th minute. Matties again took a hard shot, this time Maddi Haberl was in the right place for a deflection and a goal to cut the lead to one. But the home side hung on to their lead as time expired to earn the 6-5 victory.
Caitlin Bennett played the full time in cage, facing 16 shots and making five saves. Fairfield fired off 14 shots during the game with nine of them being on target.
Fairfield returns home on Sunday to face Providence on University Field at 1:00 p.m.
