FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey finishes up its three-game road trip this weekend with a trip up the interstate for a Friday night match up with Yale University followed by a quick trip to Lafayette College on Sunday afternoon. The Stags will have played five of their first six contests away from campus after this weekend.
.
About the Series

• Fairfield has won the last three meeting with Yale University including last year's shootout win at home. Before the Stags current run, Yale won six straight in the series between 2001 and 2011. In last year's shootout, the two teams played to a 2-2 tie after double overtime setting Fairfield goalkeeper Payton Rahn's heroics which included making six saves to help secure the shootout victory.
• The Stags and the Leopards have played 12 times over the years with Lafayette enjoying a slight 7-5 edge against Fairfield. Last year, the Stags used a goal from Agustina Casteluchi in the third quarter to break a 1-1 tie and secure the 2-1 victory at University Field. Each team enjoyed a four-game win streak with the Stags winning between 1998 and 2001 while the Leopards swept a quartet of games from 2002 to 2017.

 
About Fairfield

• For the fourth time in the last six seasons, the Stags are off to a 3-1 start. The team also reached the mark in 2018, 2019, and 2020-21 (spring) seasons. In 2018, Fairfield went onto a 9-1 beginning that ended with the team finishing 12-9 overall. The 2019 campaign saw the Stags improve to 7-1 before ending the year with a 19-3 overall record. In the 2020-21 shorten season, the team finished 5-2.
• Freshman Courtland Schumacher became the latest Stag to garner weekly honors from the Northeast Conference (NEC). The forward/midfielder earned the honor after scoring her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 win at La Salle University..
• Sophomore Alex Senior tallied her second game winner of the season when she posted a fourth-quarter goal in the decision over La Salle last weekend. She leads the team in scoring with three goals for six points, slightly ahead of Erin McGinley's two goals and four points.  Schumacher became the eighth Fairfield student-athlete to register a goal this season with her score at La Salle. Goalkeeper Payton Rahn had played every minute for the Stags, sporting a 1.00 goals against average with a .789 save percentage (15 saves).

 
About Yale

• The Bulldogs won their season opener at Temple but have fallen in their three games including a match against 11^th-ranked Saint Joseph's and fourth-ranked Maryland. Yale will play its first home date of the 2023 season against the Stags and follows up with another home match against Sacred Heart on Sunday. The team has two more potential top 20 opponents coming up shortly with #15 Harvard on September 29 and #18 UMass on  October 1.
• Nicole Gotthardt is responsible for two of the team's three goals scored this season, including the game-winner in Yale's 1-0 victory against Temple. Poppy Beales also has a goal in 2023 to complete the scoring. Luanna Summer has spent all four games in the Yale goal, recording a 3.25 goals against average with a .729 save percentage (35 saves).

 
About Lafayette

• The Leopards also won their season opener but now stand at 1-4 overall on the season. Lafayette started the campaign with a 5-0 decision over Wagner with Lineke Spaans and Josephine van Wijk each scoring a pair of goals in the match. The team played Ohio State University, currently ranked 18^th in the nation, with Stella Malinowski posting the Leopards' lone goal in the 4-1 decision.
• van Wijk (12 points) and Spaans (10 points) are both in double figures for overall scoring this year. van Wijk accounts for all of her points off her six goals while Spaans has a pair of goals mixed with a team-best six assists. Raffi Fragomeni started all five games this season, registering a 2.04 goals against average with a .609 save percentage (14 saves).