With only one senior on this year's Fairfield University field hockey team, experience will be at a premium for Head Coach Jackie Kane. Fortunately, many of those young players gained valuable insight last season when the Stags made a run at back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships only to fall short by a goal in last year's title game.

                "We graduated a lot of key players from last season's team so we will be young this year," Coach Kane said. "But we had a lot of our younger players gain a great deal of experience last year so I think that will help us fill those openings left by graduation."

                This year, Coach Kane and her team will start a new slate as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), a grouping that includes four additional MAAC field hockey teams which will transition back to the NEC this season namely Bryant University, Long Island University, Rider University, and Sacred Heart University. The competitiveness of their conference schedule as well as their non-conference slate will certainly provide the need for those young players to mature quickly.

                "We are excited to be invited to play as a member of the Northeast Conference this year," Kane said. "We know many of the team's in the conference and know that those teams will be ready to play when the NEC games start. We also have a difficult nonconference schedule so we will need to sharpen our skills and our structure to be competitive in those games and when we go into the conference games."

                At the heart of the youth movement stands sophomore Luzi Persiehl, a dual position athlete who earned the MAAC Rookie of the Year as well as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. The German native contributed both as a defender and as a midfielder last season, providing ample support to a defense that 1.79 goals per game and posted seven shutouts out of the team's 12 victories.

                Senior Emily Halderson and junior Kelly Buckley, both of whom earned All-MAAC accolades a year ago, will be back to anchor the defense along with Persiehl. The trio played a critical role in Fairfield's ability to turn opposing offenses away regularly and keep balls out of danger.

                Goalkeeper Zoe Rosen served her team well as the final line of defense, ranking fourth nationally in goals against average (1.05) and seventh in save percentage (.769). She was able to record six shutouts in the Fairfield cage including a conference tournament semifinal victory against Rider. Her experience will be vital for a defense that includes both youth and talent.

                "Our defense is where most of returning players are," Kane said. "We can work from the back forward. We have to defend from the front and attack from the back so hopefully we can create those turnovers and start our attack."

                The midfield position will incorporate Persiehl into the unit when she is not on the defensive line. Joining their classmate from the midfield position are sophomores Gabby Saxon, Ymke Huisman, and Malen Iglesias. This foursome will centralize the team's offense as well as its defense with its ability to control play by breaking down an opponent's attack while also setting by countermeasures that will create opportunities in the circle.

                Iglesias spearheaded the unit's offensive capabilities with four goals and two assists for 10 points, while Persiehl posted four points off a goal and two assists. Saxon also scored a goal on her only shot on target during the season. Huisman did not score any points but patrolled the position in all 21 games as a rookie.

                "Our sophomore midfielders had a great spring and showed that they can step into those big roles left vacant by last year's seniors," Kane said. "I think they built on what they learned last season as freshmen."

                While the midfielder helped up front, the bulk of the offense came from an able pair on attack, namely Emma Matlach and Danielle Profita. Matlach led all Fairfield scorers with 31 points, registering 12 goals and seven assists with five game-deciding goals. Profita found the back of the cage seven times and set up her teammates on five other occasions, giving the junior 19 points on the season. This duo will gain a great deal of support from returning and incoming student-athletes who should be in the mix for goal scoring opportunities throughout the season.

                "I think Dani and Emma will work well together again this year to finish our offensive chances," Kane said. "Plus, we have a few incoming freshmen as well as several returning players that will also help secure opportunities to put the ball in the goal."

                The blending of returning players and newcomers will start when the Stags open their 2019 campaign on the road, battling UMass Lowell in the season opener on August 30 before finishing up the opening weekend at Boston College on September 1. Fairfield opens the home portion of its slate on September 6 by hosting the University of Vermont and Saint Francis Pa. on September 8.

                Northeast Conference play officially starts on October 4 when Fairfield will welcome Sacred Heart University to University Field for a Friday afternoon game. With such challenges ahead of them both in and out of conference, the Stags seem poised to find the right mix that will keep the momentum going from their championship season in 2017 and championship appearance in 2018.