FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The most important part of the 2018 regular season will begin for the Fairfield University Women's Soccer team as they open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play when they travel to Riverdale, N.Y., for a matchup against Manhattan on Friday night at 7pm.
 
Through the first seven matches of the season, the Stags are gradually finding their identity. The five wins that the Stags will bring into the start of MAAC play is tied with Monmouth for the most in the conference. Much of this success can be attributed to the offensive front that has scored 18 goals (one more than they tallied during the entire 2017 season).
 
The 18 goals scored is tops in the league and ranks Fairfield 27th in the country, and the Stags have been doing this with a balanced attack. Eleven different student-athletes have touched the back of the net this season, tying the most different scorers on the same team since 2015. Alex Madden leads the pack with a league-leading six goals which places 11th in the NCAA. Madden also ranks fifth in the nation averaging 1.00 goals per match.
 
Gabby Diodati places third in the MAAC with 0.43 assists per game.
 
Ten of the 18 goals came during the past weekend that saw the Stags go 2-0, with wins over Lafayette and Delaware State. During the two matches, the Stags also displayed strength on the backline as they surrendered just three shots on goal to Delaware State after leaving Lafayette without an attempt on target.
 
Manhattan supports a 1-3-1 record heading into the match, with their lone win coming at Jacksonville on August 31. Four different student-athletes have touched net for the Jaspers with Bri DeLeo, Annie Doerr, Victoria Reis, and Kaitlyn Hogan tallying the goals for Manhattan. Goalkeeper Kelly DiGregorio holds a 1.63 goals against average and a .765 save percentage.
 
The Stags are unbeaten in 22 of the 30 all-time matches between the schools with a 22-3-5 record. However, the Stags have beaten the Jaspers just once in their last five meetings, with their last victory coming in 2014. Manhattan has won the last two in the series and have out-scored the Stags 3-0 in that span.
 
Fairfield will wrap up non-conference action when they travel to Colgate on Tuesday night at 6pm.