FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University field hockey team will begin its Northeast Conference (NEC) slate on Friday when the Stags travel to Rider University before returning home on Sunday for a non-conference match up with the University of Maine.
Fairfield, chosen as the preseason favorite in the 2024 NEC preseason coaches' poll, begins its defense of its 2023 NEC regular-season championship by taking on the Broncs, a team that was selected fourth in the NEC poll. Both teams are coming off a win with the Stags defeating New Hampshire by a 2-1 score and Rider posting a 5-3 decision over Lock Haven.
The Stags picked up their win last Sunday behind the strong effort of
Emily Streib who garnered the NEC Defensive Player of the Week award for her performance. The fifth-year goalkeeper posted a season-best eight saves including five in the second half that kept New Hampshire in check for most of the game. Streib has shared the goalkeeper duties with senior
Payton Rahn with the duo combining for a 2.00 goals against average and a .724 save percentage.
A pair of Stags scored their first goal of the season to help propel Fairfield to the win over New Hampshire, namely
Catherine Fitzgerald and
Alex Senior. Their scoring efforts expanded Fairfield's roster of goal scorers to seven this year, led by
Konni Hofmann and
Rylee LaLoup who have each posted a pair of goals this year.
Rider brings a 4-3 record into the weekend, winning its last two outings against Georgetown and Lock Haven. Valeria Perales and Olivia Machiavelli combined for the eight goals scored in those two victories with Perales accounting for five of those goals. Both were rewarded for their prowess with Perales collecting the NEC Offensive Player of the Week and Machiavelli garnering the NEC Rookie of the Week.
Machiavelli leads the team in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points while Perales places third among her teammates with 10 points off five goals. The duo has helped Rider score five or more goals three times this year highlighted by a 7-0 win over Mercyhurst University. Jade Regnart picked up that shutout in goal for Rider, leading her to her current 2.03 goals against average with a .667 save percentage.
Maine sports a 6-3 overall record coming into the weekend after shutting out Merrimack College (6-0) and Stonehill College (3-0). Two of the team's losses have come against nationally-ranked teams, namely #1 Northwestern University (3-0) and #17 Boston College (4-2).
The Black Bears have two double-digit scorers in Olivia Geniti and Victoria Tinghitella, a duo that accounts for three of the team's six game-winning goals. Geniti paces the offense with four goals and four assists for 12 points along with one game winner. Tinghitella is just one point off the lead with four goals and three assists for 11 points. Rozarie Mrazova has spent the majority of time in the Maine goal, registering a 1.36 goals against average with a .783 save percentage off 36 saves in her nine appearances.
The Maine match begins a three-game home stand for the Stags field hockey team which will conclude with dates against Wagner College on October 4 and Mercyhurst College on October 6.
