NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A pair of first half goals and another strong effort by the defensive unit provided the winning combination for the Fairfield University field hockey tonight at Yale. The Stags picked up their third straight win and fourth overall with a 2-1 decision over the Bulldogs.

Fairfield never really allowed Yale to get is footing in the opening 30 minutes, using a high-pressure set that kept the home team bottled up for most of the first two quarters. More importantly, the Stags were able to spend most of that time on attack which created ample opportunities throughout the first half.

In the first quarter, the Stags were responsible for all four shots taken in the game, three of which came in an 80-second span. The first two attempts in that burst went wide of the target but the last one found the back of the cage. The play started with Dominique Van Der Zee controlling the ball at length before sending a pass to Lucie Vincent who finished the play in the 13^th minute of the game.

Fairfield built on that one-goal edge in the second quarter after being awarded a penalty corner at the 26:46 mark. Carmel Van Dijk inserted the ball but sent a short pass to the left side of the circle where Pilar Mengotti collected the pass and one-time a shot that beat the goalkeeper to the near side for a 2-0 lead.

By the end of the first half, Fairfield recorded 12 shots while Yale was only able to manufacture one shot in the opening half. The Stags peppered the Yale defense with eight shots in the second quarter with five being on net. Yale goalkeeper Luanna Summer turned away four of those shots but the Stags still took a 2-0 lead into intermission.

The Bulldogs found their stride in the third quarter and began to create space inside the circle. One of those opportunities resulted in a penalty corner of which Yale the most of it. Poppy Beales finished a cross from Hettie Whittington to cut the deficit down to a goal with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.

After the goal, Fairfield's defense rallied and kept Yale from building any more dangerous situations. The Bulldogs could not manage another shot for the remaining 24 minutes of the game and allowed the Stags to finish out the victory.

Fairfield goalkeeper Payton Rahn made one save in earning the win while Summer posted six saves for Yale.

The Stags close out their current three-game road swing with a Sunday afternoon game at Lafayette College. The game is scheduled for a 1 pm start. Fairfield returns home for the first time in three weeks when it hosts Villanova University on Sunday, September 24 at University Field.