FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Coming off a road win in its last match, the Fairfield University men's soccer team will look to carry that momentum into its home opener this Friday night when the Stags host the University at Albany on Lessing Field. The game is slated for a 7 pm start.

The Stags split their opening weekend on the road, both games being played in the state of Maryland. After falling to UMBC in the season opener, Fairfield responded with an impressive 1-0 win against the Naval Academy just two days later.  Head Coach Carl Rees brought his team off campus for a pair of games to start the season for the first time since the 2019 campaign when the Stags posted a draw with the University of Rhode Island and a victory against Saint Joseph's University.

Against Navy, Fairfield put forth a strong defensive effort in front of goalkeeper James Anderson. Anderson posted three saves to earn the clean sheet, registering two stops in the first half and another in the final 45 minutes. The Stags scored the game's only goal in the 52^nd minute when Kaea Rangihaeata made a run from just past midfield and down the left side before sending a cross to the center of the box. Newcomer Raz Amir finished the entry pass by redirecting the ball into the upper corner of the goal, giving the Stags all they needed to secure the win.

In the opener, the Stags scored a pair of goals but it was not enough to defeat UMBC. After falling behind by three goals, Fairfield rallied for a pair of goals with the first coming from Rasmus Sorensen-Rejnhold in the 12^th minute. Alex Oliveira added another goal with a strike from 25 yards that one-hopped past the goalkeeper into the far corner of the target.

UAlbany enters Friday night's match with a 0-1-1 overall record, playing to a 1-1 draw against Boston University in the season opener at home before falling to Lafayette by a 2-0 margin on the road. The Great Danes opened the scoring against Boston University with a successful penalty kick by Pantelis Panteli in the 23^rd minute only to see the visitors work their way to even with a second-half goal. Shafique Wilson played every minute in the UAlbany goal, making five saves over the 180 minutes of action.

Fairfield will have the rest of the weekend off before returning to the pitch on Wednesday against Colgate University. The match takes place at Lessing Field with a 7 pm start. The two home matches are the first of nine that the Stags will play on campus this season.