FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A conversation between teammates proved rather prophetic this afternoon and just may have been the catalyst for the Fairfield University field hockey team's 2-1 double overtime win over Villanova University on Sunday afternoon.

"I really don't score that often but I asked one of my teammates if she thought I should score today and she said probably so I'm glad that it happened," senior Carmel Van Dijk.

Van Dijk tallied her first goal of the season in the 74^th minute of the game to lift the Stags to the victory. The play was set up following a brilliant run down the right flank by Alex Senior, who cradled and protected the ball when she entered the circle before sending a pass that eluded the diving goalkeeper and found Van Dijk's stick for the finish.

But just as Van Dijk's goal may have foreseen the game-winning goal, few could have predicted the play of freshman goalkeeper Gabby Gober. In her first collegiate start, the Pennsylvania product made three saves but none bigger than her second stop of the match.

Trailing 1-0 with under three minutes left in the second quarter, the Wildcats were awarded a penalty stroke. Sabine de Ruijter stood over the ball and flicked a shot toward the far left post. Gober flashed her stick toward the ball and deflected the it wide of the goal to keep the game at 1-0.

Gober was part of a defensive unit that held Villanova to just one goal, only the second time in eight games that the Wildcats failed to score at least twice and first since being shut out by Delaware on September 1. The visitors entered the game ranked seventh nationally with an average of 3.14 goals per game.

Villanova looked as thought it was on its way to another multi-goal effort after taking the lead with a second-quarter goal. Amanda Middleman redirect a pass from Maeve Boston in the 19^th minute to push the score to 1-0. And with a penalty stroke in hand, the Wildcats seemed poised to take control before  Gober's heroics.

Trailing at the half, the Stags quickly knotted the score with their own goal just a minute into the third quarter. Fairfield earned a penalty corner which is a play the team has executed rather well all season long. Today wasn't any different as Erin McGinley finished the scoring chance by converting a ball from Augustina Casteluchi just 37 seconds into the second half.

Both teams played evenly through the rest of the game as Fairfield finished the match with 13 shots and Villanova was nearly as successful with 11 attempts. But the goalkeepers kept their respective opponent from cashing in on those chances.

"I told the team that this was a great win, but we could also learn from this win too," Head Coach Jackie Kane said. "We had a bunch of new players who experienced overtime at this level for the first time. So I am happy we won but even happier for the lessons they learned today."

Fairfield hopes to carry those lessons into next week when the Stags travel to Stonehill College for conference game on Friday afternoon before returning to University Field on October 1 for a 12 pm non-conference match up with Columbia University.