Fairfield University Athletics

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. -- Throughout the season, the Fairfield University men's soccer team's offense has garnered the attention of opponents, and rightfully so. Heading into today's match with Siena College, the Stags led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in goals scored per game (1.92) and points per game (5.25). On a day when the team's potent offense struggled a bit, the Fairfield defense put forward yet another consistent performance that kept the Saints off the scoreboard and allowed the Stags to win their sixth straight game with a 1-0 decision.

Head Coach Carl Rees has watched a lot of late-game heroics over the course of this season with the Stags posting game-winning goals in the final 10 minutes on four different occasions this season. But today, Coach Rees was given respite from the usual stressful finishes, at least in terms of holding a lead. Fairfield posted the game's only goal in the 27th minute which was all the Stags needed because of their strong play in the defensive third.

"Today was a resilient defensive performance against a well-rested and hungry Siena team," Head Coach Carl Rees said. "We received strong leadership from Jonas Vergin, Daniel Bjorck, Nadav Zarmi, and Matt McGlinchey, who provided stability for our younger attacking players."

McGlinchey was in the thick of it again offensively as well, setting up the game-winning goal in the 27th minute. The sophomore took advantage of a corner kick and sent a sensational ball into the box that found Joseph Meyer. The sophomore finished the cross with a header that caught upper right corner for a 1-0 Fairfield advantage. McGlinchey recorded his sixth assist of the season on that scoring play which placed alone in first place among MAAC student-athletes for total assists. He also leads the conference in assists per game with 0.46 per game.

For Meyer, the play provided the midfielder with his first career game-winning goal and his third goal of his career. He raised his point total to five with today's tally which is the fourth highest point total on the team. Meyer accounted for three shots as the Stags more than doubled up the Saints in total shots with their 13-6 advantage. The team out shot Siena by a 10-1 count in the first half before the home team responded with a 5-3 edge over the final 45 minutes of play.

"It's great to see Joey Meyer grab the winner today," Coach Rees said. "He is always a threat in the final third and today only proved his ability on the attack."

While the offense applied pressure up front, Fairfield's defense kept Siena neutralized for most of the game. Goalkeeper Gordon Botterill was forced to make three saves out of the Saints six shots, giving the sophomore his first complete shutout of the season. He worked with Liam Dougherty on a combined shutout when the duo secured a clean sheet with a 5-0 decision at Canisius earlier in the month.

The Stags won their sixth road game of the season this afternoon in eight tries and improved their overall record to 9-4 and kept their unblemished MAAC record intact as they improved to 6-0-0 with the result. The team certainly relishes its success away from campus, but can now enjoy the comforts of home for three of its final four matches. The first two home matches of that run comes over the next seven days and features the top three teams in the conference.

Fairfield is the only unbeaten team in MAAC play but Quinnipiac (5-1-0) and Marist (5-1-0) are just one game behind the Stags. Quinnipiac opens the home stretch on Saturday night at 7 pm and looks for a strong performance from Eamon Whelan who leads the MAAC with eight goals and 17 points. Marist on the other hand features goalkeeper Ryan Sinnott who is tied for the conference lead with a 0.76 goals against average. The Red Foxes will come to Lessing Field on October 24 for a 7 pm start.