FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After a successful regular season that saw them win a share of the MAAC Regular Season crown, the Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will host the third-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles on Thursday night at 7pm. The Stags will be looking for their 12th MAAC Championship appearance in program history.
 
The nine conference victories ties for the most in a single season in program history and the most since the 1998 squad. The 9-1 mark in the MAAC helped the Stags to their ninth regular season title and their first in a decade. Fairfield also went 14-3 overall during their campaign, matching their most victories since 2014. Their .824 winning percentage stands 12th in the country and their RPI ranks 55th, the highest ranking ever for the Stags.
 
Fairfield has found their success with balance both offensively and defensively and were rewarded with eight All-MAAC selections. The Stags also had a couple of major awards with Maddie Mills being voted the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and Maddie Theriault earning MAAC Rookie of the Year honors.
 
Mills has been a staple on both sides of the ball, tying for the team lead with seven assists, ranking second in the MAAC. The Dartmouth transfer missed three games this season and has recorded 0.50 assists per game, ranking 16th in the country. She has tallied a point in 10 of her 14 matches she has appeared in.
 
Theriault notched a team-best eight goals this season, the second most in the conference. She also led the team with 21 points and was tied for fifth in the country among freshmen with her eight scores. She was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week four times this season and also earned the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week award during the final week.
 
Caroline Kelly joined the duo on the All-MAAC First Team with four student-athletes: Olivia Homan, Allie Kirby, Elle Scott, and Reagan Klarmann being selected to the All-MAAC Second Team. Freshman goalkeeper Katie Wright rounded out the accolades with a spot on the Third Team.
 
Wright has been impressive in her rookie season by posting 14 wins, the most among any freshman goalkeeper in the country. She has also posted an 1.09 goals against average and a .786 save percentage. Her 14 wins is the most by any Stags goalkeeper in a season since Kathleen Early posted 14 during the 2014 season.
 
This will be Fairfield's 24th appearance in the MAAC Semifinals and they hold a 9-10-4 record. The Stags have advanced to 11 MAAC Championship Matches.
 
The winner of this match will face the winner of No. 1 Quinnipiac and No. 5 Canisius on Sunday for the MAAC Championship.