FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The longest home stand of the season continues this week for the Fairfield University men's soccer program. The Stags will host Saint Peter's University on Wednesday, October 12 before welcoming Canisius College on Saturday, October 15. The Canisius date has also been designated senior day which will feature the soccer program honoring nine student-athletes for their dedication throughout their careers.
Senior
Alex Oliveira comes off a strong performance in the team's last outing, a 3-2 setback against Rider University. Oliveira posted both of the Stags' goals and helped the team erase a two-goal deficit before falling the in the closing minutes. Oliveira moved into a tie for the top spot with
Raz Amir for goal scoring, each student-athlete posting four for the season. Amir is the team's points leader with 13 total which includes a team-best five assists.
Goalkeeper
James Anderson continues to rack up saves as the junior comes into the week with 49 stops in 12 starts (4.1 per game). He allowed one goal against Manhattan College last week which was the seventh time in 12 matches that he has yielded one goal or less.
Saint Peter's brings a 1-8-2 overall record and an 0-3-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) mark which includes a scoreless draw with Canisius at home in the last contest. The Peacocks scored a season-high three goals against Mount St. Mary's one game earlier but came up a goal short on the road.
Reiss Skeen represents the team's top scorer with eight points, most of which comes off his team-leading six assists. Mikkel Fodstad, Daniel Blackmore, and Conlan Paventi each have a pair of goals this season with Paventi owning one game-winning goal. Guillem Badenes Mecho has played all the minutes in the Peacocks goal, owning a .623 save percentage off 43 saves in his 11 appearances. He also has a pair of shutouts, collecting one against Canisius and St. Francis University.
Canisius finished its last two matches with scoreless draws to bring its overall record to 1-5-5 and its MAAC mark to 0-2-2, battling Siena College at home and Saint Peter's on the road. Before coming to Fairfield on October 15, the Golden Griffs will host Iona College on Wednesday night. Beginning with the Fairfield match, Canisius will play four of its final five dates on the road.
Reilly Boyer, Daniel Longo, and Julius Schoner are tied for the team lead with one goal each with Schoner's goal representing deciding score. Longo leads the team with 17 shots while Boyer is next in line with 10 shots. Goalkeeper William Howard started all 11 games and spent all 990 minutes on his line. He registered 54 saves in those contests, breaking down to a .750 save percentage.
After the Stags' two home games this week, the team will play three straight matches on the road beginning with Niagara University on October 22. The three-game stretch also includes a game at Iona College (October 26) and at Marist College (October 29).
