FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team clinched the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season Championship and the tournament's top-seed with a 3-0 win over Niagara in their final regular season home match. Fairfield's top-two scorers in
Maddy Theriault and
Ashley McMahon both touched net for the Stags, who won their second-straight regular season title and the 10th in program history.
"I thought it was a decent performance overall today," Head Coach
David Barrett said. "We scored a couple of good goals and we were pretty dangerous. We just have to keep our standards high and know what we want to accomplish. We're pleased to be bringing home first place and another championship. We want to finish the conference slate unbeaten which hasn't been done here in about 25 years. That's important to the team and we're also looking forward to hosting a semifinal."
The Stags (14-1-2; 9-0-2 MAAC) also tallied their sixth-straight win and extended their home unbeaten streak to 26-straight matches which spans over two years.
Fairfield tallied a pair of unassisted goals with Theirault (29th minute) and McMahon (55th minute) before capping their scoring effort with a Niagara own goal.
Theriault increased her conference lead with her career-best 14th goal of the season as she recovered from her initial shot being blocked to rifling her attempt past the keeper.
McMahon's eighth goal of the year was a highlight reel effort as she dribbled past a couple of defenders before beating the keeper to her right to put the Stags up 2-0.
Theriault – who entered the match in the top-five nationally in shots and goals per game – registered a game-high nine shots to go along with her goal. She has now scored in five-straight games, the longest streak of her career.
In her first career start,
Alyssa Gluting secured a clean sheet with the Fairfield defense not allowing a shot on goal and just two attempts overall.
Fairfield improves their winning percentage to .882 this season, ranking in the top-five along the Division I landscape. The Stags will host the MAAC Semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Before that, Fairfield will close out the regular season with a road match at Merrimack on Wednesday at 7pm.
