FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fresh off their first conference victory of 2017, the Fairfield University women's soccer team will try to bring their record to 2-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) when they host the Iona Gaels on Wednesday night at Lessing Field at 7pm. Before the match, the "Stags in the Stands" student group will be hosting a pre-game tailgate with free food and beverages for students beginning at 6:15pm.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: An own goal in the 81st minute was the difference of the match as the Stags defeated Siena 2-1 to open their MAAC slate. With 10 minutes left in the match, Gabby Diodati sent a free kick to the far post that was hit into the net by a Siena defender on a failed clearance. The own goal made the score 2-1 and after two Siena shots were turned away in the final minutes, the Stags celebrated their victory. Alex Madden tied up the game late in first half when she converted a perfectly placed thru-ball by Diodati for her third score of the season. The three goals are the second most scored by a rookie in the MAAC, behind Quinnipiac's Kelsey Goldring who has tallied four.
 
2-0 START: With a victory, the Stags will start their MAAC season 2-0 for the 18th time in program history and the sixth time under Head Coach Jim O'Brien. The Stags have posted double digit victories in 15 of those 18 seasons when beginning with a 2-0 conference mark, with the last instance coming in 2014.
 
THE GAELS SCOUTING REPORT: The Gaels support a 1-6-2 record to begin the season and are coming off a scoreless draw against Canisius. The tie was the second-straight for the Gaels after snapping a three-game losing streak. As a team, Iona has recorded four goals with half of that total coming from the feet of graduate student Erika Flowers, who is returning from a season-ending injury last year. Junior Mariana Jaramillo and Binghamton transfer Jacque Rice have accounted for the other two Iona goals. In net, Tiffany Martinez has logged every minute for the Gaels and has recorded an 1.78 goals against average and 64 saves.
 
UP NEXT: The Stags will hit the road this weekend for a meeting at Rider on Saturday at 7pm.