FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team hosts Villanova University in a non-conference match up on Sunday with game time listed as 1 pm. The match marks Fairfield's first date at home since its home opener on September 4, a 5-0 over Bryant University.
 
About The Series

• Fairfield and Villanova will meet for the 10^th time in this series with the Stags winning six of the first nine meetings. Last season, Villanova secured a 3-1 win at home as Fairfield's Julianna Kratz scored in the third minute for an early edge but the team could not add to that goal for the rest of the game. The series began with the Wildcats posting a 3-1 win in 2009 but the Stags answered with three straight wins in the series from 2014-16. The team's played one overtime game in this series, a 2-1 home decision for Villanova in 2019.

About Fairfield

• Fairfield saw its three-game win streak come to an end after last Sunday's 3-2 loss at Lafayette. The Stags have scored at least two goals in five of their six games this season, failing to do so against top-ranked University of Iowa on September 1. The team is averaging 2.5 goals per game to date which ranks first in the Northeast Conference and ties for 22^nd in Division I.
• Payton Rahn remains one of the top goalkeepers in the country, sporting a 1.34 goals against average which places 20^th in Division I. Under her guidance, the Stags are 15^th in the nation for shutouts per game at .33, recording two clean sheets in six matches this season.
• Lucie Vincent collected the NEC Offensive Player of the Week with her game-winning goal at Yale University being the catalyst for the honor. The freshman has two goals this season, joining Alex Senior (3 goals), Pilar Mengotti (2 goals), and Erin McGinley (2 goals) as the team's multi-goal scores. Vincent joins Senior (Offensive - September 6), Rahn (Defensive - September 6), and Courtland Schumacher (Rookie - September 12) as NEC weekly award winners this season.

 
About Villanova

• The Wildcats have won their last two games coming into the weekend with a Friday match against Quinnipiac still pending. With those victories, Villanova owns a 4-3 overall record and a 1-0 Big East mark which comes as a result of its 4-1 win at Georgetown. This weekend features the first back-to-back road games of the season for the Wildcats, owning a 1-1 record on the road so far.
• Villanova ranks as one of the top offensive teams in the country, placing seventh nationally based on its 3.14 goals per game (22 goals in seven games). The team has scored three or more goals in seven contests this season highlighted by its 7-0 victory over Longwood. Meghan Mitchell paces the offense with seven goals and six assists for 20 points which tied for third in the country with 2.86 points per game.
• Goalkeeper Emma Leppert has played all but 30 minutes so far this season, accounting for 390 minutes through her seven appearances. She owns a 3.38 goals against average with a .585 save percentage (31 saves) and one shutout.

 
What's Next

• Fairfield makes a quick road trip to Stonehill College for the team's NEC opener on September 29 before returning to University Field for a three-game home stand that includes Columbia (October 1), Sacred Heart (October 6), and Saint Francis (October 8).