FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's soccer team closes out a three-game road trip this week with a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) matches. The Stags will meet Iona University on Wednesday for a 1 pm contest before heading to Marist College on Saturday at 7 pm.
Both games will have an impact as Fairfield jockeys for position in the MAAC standings with a hope of earning one of the six spots in the 2022 conference championship. The Gaels are the only remaining unbeaten team in the MAAC, bringing a 3-0-4 record into the midweek matinee. Marist went 1-0-1 last week and is also vying for one of those tournament slots with its 2-4-1 conference slate.
Fairfield has won its last three games all coming via shutout, posting wins over Saint Peter's, Canisius, and Niagara. At the heart of those shutouts stands goalkeeper
James Anderson, who earned his second straight MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honor following his seven-save clean sheet against Niagara on October 22. Anderson now has six shutouts to his credit with a 1.72 goals against average and a .705 save percentage through 15 games.
The Stags' offense has several options beginning with top scorer
Raz Amir who has collected five goals and five assists for 15 points, last scoring a goal against Canisius on October 15.
Alex Oliveira places second in scoring with four goals for eight points while
Joseph Lozowski climbs the rankings with his second game-winning goal of the season in the Niagara match.
Iona brings an eight-match unbeaten streak which translates into a 3-0-5 mark. The run started with a draw against Columbia and continued through MAAC play that gives the Gaels a 3-0-4 mark and a third-place spot in the conference standings.
Sergio Gonzalez Fernandez leads the team in scoring with two goals and a team-best four assists for eight points while Camil Azzam Ruiz is next in line with two goals and two assists for four points. Goalkeeper Juan Alfaro Monge has stood on his line in all 11 matches this year, sporting a 1.27 goals against average with a .770 save percentage.
Marist owns a 6-6-2 overall record this season which includes a 4-2-1 mark against non-conference opponents this year. Jared Juleau and Henrique Cruz are tied for the team lead in goals scored with four each while Juleau has a slight advantage with his team-best five assists.
Juleau leads the team with 13 points followed by Cruz's 10 points (four goals, two assists). Samuel Ilin has served as the team's goalkeepers in 14 of the team's 15 matches, recording a 1.22 goals against average and a .679 save percentage off his 36 saves.
Following this week's road swing, the Stags will play their final regular-season game by hosting Siena College on November 2 at Lessing Field. The match is scheduled for a 7 pm start.
