STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A berth to the 2019 NCAA Tournament is on the line this Sunday as the
24th-ranked and top-seeded Fairfield University field hockey team will take on second-seeded Rider University on Sunday afternoon. The match is slated for 12 pm at Wagner College's Field Hockey facility.
The Stags earned the right to play for the conference title after defeating fourth-seeded Sacred Heart University by a 2-1 count on Friday afternoon. Rider secured its berth to the title game with its 3-0 win over third-seeded LIU later that day. These two teams will meet for the first time since the Stags posted a 2-1 overtime victory over the Broncs in October. Fairfield finished the conference season with a 6-0 record while Rider won five of its six NEC contests.
Fairfield is playing in its fifth straight conference title game, advancing to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship match from 2015-18. The Stags collected the title in 2015, defeating Quinnipiac University, and in 2017, besting Monmouth University. The Stags also have a third conference championship on their ledger, winning the Patriot League crown in 2001.
This season, the team is enjoying unprecedented success with a school-record 17 victories which includes a program-tying best seven-game winning streak which was surpassed by its run of 10 consecutive victories. Based on that success, the team has been part of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) coaches' poll for the last seven weeks, ranking as high as 23rd before settling in their current position.
The Stags opened NEC tournament play with a win over Sacred Heart as
Madison Hoskins and
Emma Matlach scored a pair of fourth quarter goals to earn the victory. For Matlach, the goal was her eighth of the season which ties her for the top spot on the team along with freshman
Page Lowry. The team's top overall scorers are represented by
Danielle Profita, who owns seven goals and nine assists for 23 points, and
Luzi Persiehl, who brings six goals and nine assists for 21 points.
Defensively, Fairfield looks to the leadership of
Emily Halderson, the team's lone senior, who is one of three student-athletes to start all 19 games this year. She has one goal and one assist to her credit in addition to her stellar defensive play this season. Goalkeeper
Zoe Rosen continues to enjoy success in the net, ranking 14th in the nation for both goals against average (1.16) and save percentage (.758). Rosen has 69 saves to her credit this year, averaging nearly four saves per game.
Rider has won four of its last six matches which has improved the team's overall record to 13-6, the team's most wins since posting 15 victories in 2012. The team features one of the top scoring forwards in the MAAC in Julia Divorra, who tallied 15 goals and six assists for 36 points in 19 games played. Carly Brosious is not far behind her teammate with 33 total points, a number consisting of 12 goals and a team-best nine assists.
Goalkeeper Lena Vandam has spent every minute of the season in the Rider goal during which she posted a 1.23 goals against average with a .760 save percentage. The junior has made 76 saves in 19 starts this season, an average of four saves per contest.
