PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Fairfield University field hockey team reached double-digits in the win column for the second straight year with its 2-1 win over Bryant University in a Northeast Conference game on Friday afternoon. The Stags, which owned a 12-9 record a year ago, improved to 10-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. 

On a rainy afternoon, all of the scoring came in the first quarter with Fairfield finding the back of the net just a minute into the game. The Stags earned their first penalty corner of the game when the referee called an infraction 56 seconds into the contest. The visitors grabbed the lead off the insertion as Danielle Profita secured the ball and sent a shot back toward the goal that ended up in the corner to provide a 1-0 lead to Fairfield.

Bryant, which came into the game with six goals scored in 11 games, quickly tied the game with a goal in the sixth minute of the first quarter. Aisling Madden provided the Bulldogs with the tying score off an unassisted shot that beat the Fairfield goalkeeper to the near side. With both teams scoring on their first shots of the game, the two teams' settled down and began to keep the opposition in check.

Fairfield managed to break the tie with under four minutes left in the opening quarter as Emma Matlach wound her way through the Bryant defense and managed to find an opening in the circle. She released a shot that eluded all Bulldog defenders as well as the goalkeeper to push the Stags in front for good at 2-1. Fairfield dominated play in the second quarter, not allowing Bryant to attempt a shot in the 15-minute period. 

The Bulldogs found their stride once again in the third quarter, outshooting Fairfield by a 6-4 count with only one of Bryant's shots being on target. The Stags turned things around in the final quarter by registering five of the six shots taken in the quarter, never allowing Bryant to reestablish any momentum in the circle. 

Fairfield goalkeeper Zoe Rosen finished the game with two saves, making one stop in both the third and fourth quarters. Bryant goalkeeper Marijn Jaarsma earned four saves in the game, all coming in the second half. 

The Stags will return to the pitch on Friday, October 18 when they host Rider University in a key NEC match. Fairfield, Rider, and Merrimack started the week with a 1-0 record in conference play. Rider and Merrimack meet tonight with the winner joining the Stags as the only unbeaten teams remaining in Northeast Conference play.