FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the first time since 2006, the Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will host a playoff game on Lessing Field and this one will include a local derby rivalry. The Stags will welcome in-state rivals Quinnipiac to the Lessing grass surface in the second semifinal match of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships on Thursday at 7pm. With a win, the Stags will be looking to advance to their first MAAC Championship Game since 2014.
The Stags enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed after achieving a 7-2-1 conference mark during the regular season. Fairfield supports one of the best offenses in the conference, netting a conference-leading 43 goals which also ranks them in the top-15 in the nation.
Fairfield has achieved this offensive success through a balanced approach as five different Stags rank in the top-15 in the MAAC in points. All of those five were selected to postseason All-MAAC squads. The team's top-two points leaders:
Stephanie Tsangaris and
Gabby Diodati were named to the All-MAAC First Team while
Liz Dumas,
Brooke Hernon, and
Nicole Stryjek were all selected to the league's Second Team.
The trio of Tsangaris, Dumas, and Stryjek are all tied for fifth in the MAAC with seven goals apiece. As she has been throughout her entire career, Diodati was the biggest playmaker for the Stags during the season as she dished out a conference-high eight assists. She has now tallied 18 in her Fairfield career, tying her with Gina Pantuosco '00 for sixth on the program's career list.
Diodati was able to set up her teammates coming from a new position as she started all 18 games as the team's right back. She was part of a defensive back four, where each member was represented on an All-MAAC squad. Besides Diodati's First Team selection, her opposite back
Kelsey Gilbert was voted to the All-MAAC Second Team and rookies
Josie Horosky and
Olivia Homan were picked to the All-Rookie Team. Horosky was the highlight of the group as she was voted the MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, becoming the sixth Stag to win that award.
The eight all-conference selections were the most for the Stags since 2008.
The back four helped the Fairfield defense to seven shutouts, with four of those coming during conference play. The major reason for this success has been limiting the opposition's attempts. The Stags allowed their foes to average 11.9 shots per game with just 3.4 on target. During conference play, MAAC teams averaged 9.7 shots against the Stags with 3.8 per game on goal.
With all their success, the leader of the squad also was recognized by the conference coaches as Head Coach
David Barrett was selected the BSN MAAC Coach of the Year. It was the sixth conference Coach of the Year award for Barrett, who won five College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) awards in his 17 years at Illinois Wesleyan.
Barrett led a team that was pre-ranked seventh in the MAAC Preseason Poll to their highest finish since 2014, which also represented the program's last double-digit wins in a season. The 43 goals scored was also the most by the team since 2007.
The Stags will host Quinnipiac on Lessing Field for the first time this season, as the team's other game on campus came on the Rafferty Stadium turf due to rain. The Bobcats were one of just two MAAC teams to defeat the Stags this season, with a 3-0 win at Rafferty Stadium.
The Bobcats will be looking to advance to their first MAAC Championship since 2016.
Selena Salas is the team's goal scoring leader with six assists to combine with four assists. Ally Grunstein is tied with Diodati for the conference leader with eight assists. Goalkeeper Meaghan Phillips has started all 16 games as a rookie and holds a 0.88 goals against average (second in the MAAC) and a .814 save percentage (third in the conference). She also shared the MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year with Horosky.
The winner of this match will advance to the MAAC Championship game on Sunday, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
