FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship play by hosting the Quarterfinal round against crosstown rivals Sacred Heart on Sunday at 1pm. The top-seeded Stags will be looking for a spot in the MAAC Semifinals for the fourth-straight season.
 
The Stags clinched the MAAC Regular Season Championship in their last match as they shutout the reigning conference champions Quinnipiac, 2-0 on Lessing Field. The conference's leading scorer Maddy Theriault was involved in both of Fairfield's scores with a goal and an assist, raising her season total to 12 goals. She now ranks in the top-five in program history in career goals (30), points (75), and game-winning goals (10).
 
On the defensive side, the Stags posted their eighth shutout of the season anchored by three saves by goalkeeper Katie Wright, who was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career. Wright ranks fifth in the conference with a 0.914 goals against average, the best of her career. She is also now third all-time with 37 wins, marking the most by a Stag in 24 years.
 
As a team, the Stags support one of the best offenses in the conference, leading the MAAC in: goals (46), assists (38), points (130), shots per game (21.1), and shots on goal per game (9.0). Most of those statistics also rank in the top-15 in the country.
 
Fairfield will also bring the nation's fifth-highest winning percentage into the match with their 15-2-1 overall record. The 15 wins is tied for the third-most in program history and the most by any Fairfield team since 2008.
 
The Stags will be the top-seed in the tournament after clinching the ninth MAAC Regular Season title in program history and the second in the last three years.
 
Sacred Heart earned the eight-seed in the tournament after posting a 3-5-4 conference record, with one of those victories coming against the Stags. Shea Kelleher is the team's leading scorer with five goals while goalkeeper Kyran Thievon, who made 14 saves against the Stags, enters with a 0.817 goals against average.
 
The winner of the match will advance to the MAAC Semifinals on Thursday night.