FAIRFIELD, Conn. – In her first career appearance, Bre Cocuzzo made five saves while Sara Plowman and Alex Madden each scored their fourth goal of the fall as the Fairfield University Women's Soccer team enjoyed a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Niagara on Saturday afternoon. After back-to-back scoreless games, the Stags' offense came alive, out-shooting the Purple Eagles by a 17-10 clip while putting 12 of those shots on target.
 
"The team showed tremendous heart," Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. "They really rallied around Bre, who was playing her first college soccer game after a year of working really hard to prepare herself for this day, and defended very well. It was very hard-fought. The kids who came off the bench contributed very well. It was a good team win."
 
The Stags (5-7, 3-3 MAAC) put their first eight shots on net with their first score coming 3:30 into the match. Gabby Diodati dribbled along the far side of the box and sent a pass to Plowman at the top of the penalty area. After fooling the defender, Plowman was able to convert her opportunity for her team-leading fourth goal of the year.
 
Niagara (6-5-2, 2-3-1 MAAC) would tie the match just three minutes later after a turnover in the defense allowed Courtney Betts a 1v1 opportunity, which she would finish.
 
However, the Stags kept the offensive pressure throughout the entire match and would record seven of the next eight shots, a streak that continued into the second half. It was during that period where the Stags would notch the eventual game-winning goal. With her mom, who made the trip all the way from England in the stands, Madden took in her own rebound and put the ball in the net to give the Stags a 2-1 lead. This was not the only opportunity the freshman would have in the afternoon as she would attempt a career-high eight shots with six on target.
 
Although the Stags put a season-high 12 shots on net, Niagara's goalkeeper Sabrina Locas stepped on in the setback, as she made 10 saves for the Purple Eagles.
 
On the other side of the field, Cocuzzo stopped five shots in her collegiate debut, highlighted by a leaping diving effort early in the match which was her first career save.
 
The backline of Alana Leahy, Katherine Lynch, Jackie Goudreault, and Maggie Walsh helped in support of Cocuzzo, allowing only 10 Niagara shots, and just four in the first half.
 
The midfield of Julia McGuire and Faith Daley also helped control the pace of the game, and help the Stags control possession for the majority of the match.
 
Fairfield will now try and build on this hard-fought victory when they travel to Saint Peter's for a Wednesday afternoon match at 3pm.