FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's soccer team will return home for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) match with Merrimack College on Wednesday night. The game is slated for a 7 pm start at Lessing Field.
The Stags are 1-0-2 over their last three games, picking up five points and placing the team fourth in the MAAC standings. With five matches left on the docket, Fairfield is jockeying for one of the six slots available for the MAAC Championship in early November. Merrimack is also trying to work its way into the postseason picture, currently just one point shy of one of those coveted spots.
Fairfield has come away with draws in each of its last two dates with both matches ending in similar fashion. The Stags held a 1-0 lead in both contests before Iona and Rider each scored in the closing three minutes to work out a 1-1 draw.
Kaea Rangihaeata his goal of the season in the Iona match while
Jordan Blunschi garnered his second goal of the campaign against Rider.
Rangihaeata became the ninth Fairfield student-athlete to score a goal this season, giving the senior three points this year. Freshman
Alex Vaz continues to pace the Fairfield offense with five goals and 10 points, a couple of points better than
Cameron Gerber (one goal, six assists) and
Sean Albritton (four goals).
Goalkeeper
Evan Chomow allowed has allowed just one goal in each of his last four starts, keeping him among the MAAC's top keepers. For the season, the freshman owns a .806 save percentage off 54 saves through his 11 starts in addition to posting a 1.19 goals against average. He is the only goalkeeper in the MAAC with a save percentage above .800 while his goals against average is second among league leaders.
Merrimack enters Wednesday night's match with a 4-6-1 overall record and a 2-3 MAAC mark, winning two of its last three MAAC matches. The Warriors are coming off a 4-3 win over Saint Peter's over the weekend, the third time they scored three or more goals over the last five dates.
Adam Abdelaal and Keller Cassidy both scored a goal against the Peacocks, raising their season total to four goals. That number places both student-athletes in the top 10 among MAAC goal scorers.
Nelton Semedo has played in 10 of the team's 11 games as the starting goalkeeper, registering a 1.50 goals against average with a .746 save percentage. His save percentage and saves per game numbers ranks fifth in the MAAC, averaging 4.4 stops per 90 minutes.
Following Wednesday night's match, the Stags will travel to Manhattan University on October 18 for a 6 pm match at Gaelic Park. The game will be one of two remaining road dates on the Stags schedule.
