FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team set the tone of the match early as Stephanie Tsangaris scored just 37 seconds into the game and the Stags recorded their sixth shutout of the season with a 2-0 victory over Manhattan on Fairfield's annual 'Herd for a Cure' match. Ally Filipkowski added an insurance goal in the second half, her first as a Stag.
 
"I thought overall it was a real solid performance," Head Coach David Barrett said. "We defended pretty well and we were in control from almost literally at the kickoff. I thought Josie (Horosky) had a real nice game and Ally gave us a lot off the bench. We're still looking to develop some level of consistency across the board from our personnel but we're really excited to be where we are in the league at this point of the season. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us and we're looking forward to getting after Marist on Wednesday."
 
The Stags (7-4-2, 4-1 MAAC) earned their 12th point in league play with the victory, keeping them in third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
 
Fairfield would need just one goal and it came just 37 seconds into the match when Tsangaris fought off a defender on the right side of the box and sent a cross shot that beat the goalkeeper to the right. The tally was the fifth of the year for Tsangaris, placing her tied for fourth in the conference.
 
On the defensive side, the Stags would allow just eight shots in the contest and only two on target. Although she was only credited with one save, goalkeeper Aytana Muschajew did a remarkable job playing off her line and intervening on various crosses throughout the first half. The Fairfield backline also kept the Jaspers at bay, as Manhattan was whistled for seven offside violations, including four in the first half.
 
Gena Pike would replace Muschajew after an injury and tallied the biggest save of the game by either side. With just 10 minutes left to preserve the shutout, Pike fully extended to her right to tip away a shot from Manhattan's leading goal scorer Arianna Montefusco.
 
The Stags would get their insurance score in the 62nd minute when Josie Horosky sent a cross from the right side where Filipkowski was able to control from the side of the box and convert her chance. Both players picked up their first Fairfield points on the play with Filipkowski scoring her first goal as a Stag and Horosky dishing out her first assist.
 
Fairfield out-shot the Jaspers 18-8 and had an 11-2 margin for shots on target. Eleven of those shots came in the second half as Fairfield clamped down over the final 45 minutes.
 
Fairfield will end their three-game homestand when they welcome Marist on Wednesday night at 7pm.