JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Fairfield University men's soccer team dropped its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener at Saint Peter's University this afternoon as the Peacocks posted a 4-1 decision at Jaroschak Field.

The home team scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, finding the back of the net in the fourth and eighth minutes to take control of the game early. The first goal came off a free kick which Jamie Davis sent forward into the box where Daniel Blackmore placed his head on the ball and sent a shot into the corner of the goal. Minutes later, the Peacocks secured another quick strike when Fabial Schmid carried the ball into the offensive third and sent a ball to Matt Hoyt in the far side of the box. Hoyt one-timed a shot to the near corner which skipped past goalkeeper James Anderson for a two-goal advantage.

Saint Peter's tacked on one more goal before halftime when Matt Ellis cleared some space about 25 yards from goal and tucked a shot into the upper right corner in the 22nd minute, extending the lead to 3-0. When halftime rolled around, the Stags held a 5-4 advantage on shots but the Peacocks made the most of their attempts by finding goals on their first three attempts of the game. Fairfield put two shots on target but goalkeeper Herman Wulff was able to turn those tries aside. Rasmus Sorensen Rejnhold provided the first test for the Peacocks goalkeeper in the 33rd minutes which Jonathan Filipe followed with a shot on goal in the 41st minute.

In the second half, Blackmore secured his second goal of the game when he accepted another pass from Davis off a set piece which pushed the score to 4-0 in the 76th minute. The game's final goal was a result of an own goal when a ball was redirected into the Saint Peter's net off a defender's deflection. The Stags had a couple of chances during the second half with Thomas Drillien and Filipe each putting a shot on goal but both attempts were directed away from danger by Wulff. The final statistics showed that Fairfield outshot Saint Peter's by a 9-7 and took all seven of the game's corner kicks. 

Fairfield opens the home portion of its MAAC slate by hosting Niagara University on Saturday, October 2. The game will feature a ceremony to honor former Fairfield goalkeeper Matt Turner, who has continued his soccer career with the New England Revolution and the U.S. National Soccer Team. After the game, Turner will sign autographs for youth fans on a free Fairfield Soccer poster.

Tickets for the match are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX. Lessing Field is a "preferred cashless" venue; all fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance or to pay via credit card at the gate. Current Fairfield students can claim their free tickets via the Super Stags app.