FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Every athletic team has goals. And every athletic team has aspirations. The problem with athletics is that not everyone gets to reach those goals or experience those aspirations. But every now and then, a season comes along when ambition and reality collide. Such is the season that the Fairfield University field hockey team has enjoyed in 2019.

                The 25^th-ranked Stags found out last Sunday that they would have a chance to host an NCAA tournament game on campus and they made the most of that opportunity by beating #23 American University by a 3-1 score at University Field. The victory sends Fairfield (19-2 overall) to an in-state matchup with second-ranked UConn in Storrs this Friday. The game is scheduled for a 12 pm start.

                "Winning a game in the NCAA tournament was on our preseason checklist," Head Coach Jackie Kane said. "It's been a goal of ours from the start. All season long, this team has surprised me with their work ethic and their dedication to each other. They believe in themselves and they believe in this team. That's what has made this season so special for me."

                The game started as so many have for the Stags, a defensive struggle between two teams without much offense to show for the effort. In the first quarter, Fairfield took the only shot in that 15-minute span which required goalkeeper Fiona Minter to kick the ball away for her first save of the day. The second quarter provided more action up front but still no goals to show on the scoreboard as the Stags held a slight 2-1 advantage in the quarter.

                While the second half has generally been Fairfield's time to shine, most times the second-half success was nearly exclusive to the fourth quarter. That didn't prove to be the case today as Fairfield scored the game's first goal just 37 seconds into the third quarter.

                 Luzi Persiehl started the play when she took control of the ball and attacked from the right side, drawing defenders toward her. The sophomore sidestepped two defenders and sent a pass to the center of the circle where Emma Matlach waited. The forward collected the pass, stopped the ball, and sent a shot into the back of the cage to put the host school in front.

                Being down by a goal seemed to spark American's offensive prowess as the Eagles moved the ball with urgency despite having nearly 30 minutes left in the game. Fairfield handled the pressure for the most part as its back line kept American from setting any semblance of consistency in the circle. After pressuring for the entire third quarter and for the first part of the fourth quarter, American finally broke through when it was awarded a penalty corner with less than 10 minutes left in regulation.

                Noor Coenen, who ranks among the nation's top 10 scorers, collected the ball at the top of the circle and sent the ball toward the right post. Josie Formica found space about 10 feet from the goal and was able to redirect the ball into the near corner to tie the game at 1-1.

                Just as Fairfield's goal seemed to affect American, the Eagles tying goal helped ignite the Stags. Less than two minutes after American scored, Fairfield strung together three passes from midfield to the circle to score the game-winning goal.

                Malen Iglesias started the play by flicking the ball skyward toward the circle. Julianna Kratz controlled the ball, made a quick spin, and attacked the goal. As the goalkeeper came out to address her progress, Kratz sent a pass across the crease. Danielle Profita dove full extension and deflected the ball with her outstretched stick into the upper part of the cage to give the lead back to Fairfield and provide her most memorable goal.

                "The play started with Malen who had that incredible overhead and Jules ran it down and made a nice baseline run," Profita said. "She made a great pass and I saw it in front of me so I just dove for it and it went in."

                Near desperation, American pushed everyone forward to try and find a way to tie the score but Fairfield's defense would not allow it. With so many players forward, the Stags were able to counter with under three minutes remaining, resulting in Mackenzie Boyle scoring her first career goal off another stellar pass from Iglesias.

                Fairfield goalkeeper Zoe Rosen put together another outstanding effort with three saves. But just as important, she was able to disrupt American's offense on several occasions with her stick and pads, getting to the ball before those passes could reach an Eagle player.

                Now, the Stags move forward in the NCAA Championship with a first-round game against UConn on Friday, providing another challenge for this Fairfield team.

                "They are a very skilled team and ranked second in the country so I think that says what we are up against on Friday," Kane said. "We look forward to the opportunity of playing them and the challenge of going against such a talented team."

                 But UConn is still a couple of days away so for now, the Stags will enjoy today's win, one that will stay with many of the players for a long time.

                "Since my freshman year, we wanted to win an NCAA game," Profita said. "Now that we finally did that, it's just the greatest feeling."