FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After winning its third Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season title, the Fairfield University field hockey team now turns its focus to the 2023 NEC Championship which takes place this weekend.

The top-seeded Stags will play fourth-seed and host Wagner College on Friday, November 3 at 11 am while second-seed Saint Francis University and  third-seed Sacred Heart University will play at 2 pm.

Fairfield is seeking its third NEC Tournament title in five years this season, also capturing the crown in 2019 and 2021. This year's team has two things in common with the 2019 and 2021 teams beginning with the fact all three went unbeaten in conference play. The 2019 team went 6-0 against conference opponents enroute to its title while the 2021 squad won all seven matches against NEC foes. And, the 2019 and 2021 teams won their title in Staten Island.

But the past is the past and no one knows that better than Head Coach Jackie Kane. In her 29^th season at the helm, Kane hit another career milestone with her 250^th win last Friday at Merrimack, a victory that completed the team's unbeaten NEC slate. Now, the team now sets its sights on playing against three teams that have proven to be formidable all season long.

Fairfield played all three NEC tournament teams in succession this year, beating Sacred Heart and Saint Francis at home before traveling to Wagner for one of the team's seven road victories. In fact, the Stags split their 14 regular-season wins down the middle, winning seven at home and seven at home. Fairfield won all seven of its home matches this year and have won nine straight home games dating back to the 2022 campaign.

The offense has proven to be one of the best in the nation this year, ranking in the top 20 in several categories. Fairfield averages 2.82 goals per game which is 17^th in Division I while their 1.80 scoring margin is ninth best in the nation. The team averages 7.47 penalty corners per game, placing 12^th nationally. And with its 14-3 overall record, Fairfield is tied with Rutgers University, Duke University, and UMass Lowell for fourth in winning percentage (.824).

Freshman Lucie Vincent, who has won three of the last four offensive player and rookie of the week honors in the NEC, is tied for 17^th in the nation with 0.76 goals per game, a number which comes from her 13 goals in 17 starts. She also places 21^st nationally with 1.76 points per game (30 points in 17 appearances). She leads the team in scoring with 13 goal and four assists.

Alex Senior ranks second among her teammates with eight goals and two assists for 20 points. Carmel Van Dijk paces the Stags with seven assists and has 15 total points which includes four goals.

Defensively, the Stags have not made it easy for the opposition to score goals, allowing just 8.2 shots per game (139 in 17 matches). At the heart of the defense stands goalkeeper Payton Rahn, who ranks fifth in the nation with a 1.01 goals against average and seventh in save percentage at .792.

Following Friday's action, the two semifinal winners will advance to Sunday's championship game at noon with the champion earning the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The match will also be played in Staten Island on the Wagner College campus.