PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Fairfield University field hockey team opened the 2021 season against nationally-ranked Saint Joseph's University, falling to the 20th-ranked team by a 4-0 count on the Hawks' home field. It marked the first time that the team played a team in the NFHCA top 25 since defeating Boston College and American University during the 2019 campaign.

All the scoring came in the first half as the home team posted a pair of goals in both the first and second quarters. Saint Jospeh's opened the game with the game's first goal just five minutes into the game when Anna Miller received a pass that crossed from side of the circle to the other, giving her a crease to goal. Freke Van Tilburg doubled the advantage with 20 seconds remaining in the quarter, finishing a penalty corner that included passes from Cassidy Atchison and Katy Benton.

The Stags only shot of the half came in the eighth minute of the opening quarter after Julianna Kratz drove a shot following a penalty corner that forced Saint Joseph's goalkeeper Robin Bleekemolen to make a save.

The second quarter produced similar results for the Hawks but the timing was a little different on the goal scoring. This time, Saint Joseph's tallied its third goal in the eighth minutes courtesy of Nika Hansen's attempt that caught the netting following Kately Cocco's entry pass. Just one minute later, Zoe Wohlleben tallied the team's fourth goal of the afternoon by tagging a rebound in the front of the goal.

Fairfield showed more offensive promise in the third quarter by testing Bleekemolen with a pair of shots, one of which forced the goalkeeper to kick the ball away from danger. Malen Iglesias placed her first shot of the season on target while Kratz's second attempt of the day was wide of goal. Fairfield's defense also clamped down on the home team's effort, yielding just five shots over the final 30 minutes. Goalkeeper Zoe Rosen was equal to the task, making a save in the third quarter and a pair of stops in the final quarter.

The Stags will complete their season-opening road trip on Sunday afternoon when they travel to the University at Albany for a 1 pm start. Fairfield plays its home opener on September 3 when Monmouth University comes to campus for a 4 pm match at University Field.