FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will open up postseason play when they embark to Western New York and face the third-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles in the MAAC Championship Quarterfinals on Sunday at 1pm. The two teams will be meeting for the seventh time in program history in MAAC Championship play, with the Stags holding a 2-3-1 record in the previous six contests.
 
The Stags finished the regular season with a 9-6-3 overall record and a 5-4-1 mark in the conference. Fairfield scored 30 goals during the season, ranking third in the MAAC. Elle Scott led the team with seven scores, placing fifth in the MAAC. Gabby Diodati finished right behind her with six goals and tied for the team lead with three assists.
 
Fairfield enters as one of the most aggressive offensive sides in the conference, averaging a MAAC best 16.9 shots per game with 8.5 shots on goal. Scott leads the group with a conference-high 2.33 shots on goal per game, ranking in the top-10 in the country.
 
Niagara enters as the top-ranked offensive team in the conference, leading the MAAC with 44 total goals as well as 9.3 shots on goal per game and 2.59 assists per contest.
 
The Stags lead the overall series with the Purple Eagles by a 21-11-2 clip. Niagara came out on top with a 3-2 decision the last time the two teams met on Oct. 2. Reagan Klarmann and Maddie Kiely touched net for the Stags in that contest. In the series, Brooke Hernon leads all Fairfield players with two goals and an assist while Diodati has netted one goal and dished out two assists.
 
With a win, the Stags will advance to the MAAC Semifinals which will be played on Thursday, Nov. 4.