FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University field hockey team will begin Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Friday when the Stags travel to Sacred Heart University. The match is slated for a 1 pm start and is scheduled to take place at Johnson Field on the campus of Yale University. The team's first nine matches came against non-conference opponents including last Sunday's shootout win over Yale University.

The Stags are looking to defend their NEC titles in 2022 after winning the regular-season with a 7-0 record and the conference tournament title with victories against Rider and LIU during the 2021 campaign. Fairfield has captured two of the three NEC championships since rejoining the conference for the 2019 season. During that three year stretch, Head Coach Jackie Kane has led her program to a 15-2 during regular-season games against NEC opponents.

In their last match, Fairfield won a thrilling shootout decision over Yale University by outscoring the Bulldogs by a 4-3 count in nine rounds. The two teams battled to a 2-2 draw after 60 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. Yale scored on its first three shootout attempts before Fairfield goalkeeper Payton Rahn made six straight saves to allow her team to rally for the win. For her efforts, Rahn was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week, her second such award this season (September 7).

Rahn has been among the nation's leaders for saves per game throughout the campaign, currently placing 17th with 6.0 saves per contests. She also ranks 37th in the country with her .720 save percentage, registering 54 saves while allowing 21 goals (2.20 goals against average). 

Julianna Kratz scored her team-leading third goal of the season to put Fairfield in front of Yale, 1-0, while Laia Vancells netted her first goal as a Stag to regain the lead at 2-1. Kratz remains the team's top scorer with eight points, adding two assists to her goal total. Agustina Casteluchi, who tallied the deciding goal in the shootout against Yale, also has three goals to her credit for six total points which also includes a team-best two game-winning goals. 

Sacred Heart's offense has four different goal scorers to date with Emma Brayford pacing the attack with three goals for six total points. She tallied a goal in back-to-back games early in the season, finding the back of the cage against Vermont and Georgetown. Mira Poelzer, Hannah Fawle, and Aine Keaney each have one goal to their credit while Poelzer also chipped in a pair of assists to the team's offensive efforts. Samantha Maresca has spent nearly every minute in the Sacred Heart net, owning a .650 save percentage with 52 stops in eight appearances. 

The Fairfield University field hockey team will return to action with another conference road game against Rider University on October 7. The Stags will return home later that weekend when they host Merrimack University on Sunday, October 9 with the game scheduled for a 1 pm start.