FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team was well represented on the 40th anniversary team of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). In total, five former student-athletes (Abby Allan, Pam Cluff, Christen Veach, Nikki Stanton, and Kelly Boudreau) were joined by three-time MAAC Championship Head Coach Maria Piechocki on the conference's all-time squad. The group has combined for: four MAAC Player of the Year awards, four MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors, and 12 All-MAAC First Team selections.
Abby Allan (1996-99)
Allan is Fairfield's all-time leader in points (139) and goals (58), scoring 22 more tallies than any other Stag. She was the MAAC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 1997 and 98, scoring a combined 40 goals in those seasons. She also holds the top two spots in Stags' history in goals scored in a season with 22 in 1997 and 18 the following season. She also holds the Stags' record with four goals and seven points in a single game. During her 1998 senior season she helped the Stags to a program best 15-game winning streak and a MAAC Championship, one of her three conference championships.
Pam Cluff (1998-2001)
Cluff was also a two-time MAAC Player of the Year after winning the honor in 1999 and 2000. She was the MAAC Tournament MVP in 1998 after helping the Stags to a 15-game winning streak which ended with a MAAC Championship. She is one of six Stags to earn three All-MAAC First Team selections during her career. She currently stands second all-time with 36 career goals and third with 88 career points. She helped the Stags to two MAAC Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances during her stay.
Christen Veach (1992-95)
The first goalkeeper in Fairfield Stags history, Veach also became the first goalkeeper in MAAC history to earn three Goalkeeper of the Year honors (1993-95). Veach tallied a then-school record 43 wins in her career which also included 20 shutouts, 373 saves, and a 1.37 goals against average. She became the first Stag to earn three All-MAAC First Team honors and helped the Stags to their first two MAAC Championships in history in 1993 and 1995, earning Tournament MVP honors in both seasons.
Nikki Stanton (2009-13)
A leader in the midfield, Stanton earned three All-MAAC First Team honors (2011-13) after picking up a team-high seven assists in 2013. She also became the fifth Stag in program history to earn NSCAA All-Northeast First Team honors. She became the first Stag to play professionally in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), appearing for Sky Blue and the Chicago Red Stars.
Kelly Boudreau (2008-11)
Boudreau completed her four-year stay by earning the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2011. That season she led the conference in goals against average (0.63) and save percentage (.865). Her 0.63 goals against average was the second best in a single season in program history, finishing just short of Boudreau's 2008 campaign. She is Fairfield's all-time leader in shutouts (36), tied in saves (396), second in goals against average (0.89), third in wins (36).
Head Coach Maria Piechocki (1997-2004)
Piechocki coached the Stags for eight seasons and won three-straight MAAC Championships between 1997 and 1999. The 1998 squad was one of the best in conference history as the Stags went 18-2 including a perfect 9-0 mark in the conference. The Stags won 15-straight during that season before being edged by Maryland 4-3 in the NCAA Tournament. She won 96 games and two MAAC Coach of the Year awards.
