FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Before most fans had settled in their seats, the Fairfield University field hockey had already put a pair of goals on the scoreboard. The Stags scored twice in the in the first six minutes of the game, sending the team to a 3-1 decision over Sacred Heart University.
The win represented the fourth straight victory for Fairfield, all of which have been against Northeast Conference (NEC) opponents. During the current run, the Stags have outscored the competition by a 17-3 margin, averaging just over four goals per game.
"I thought the team pieced together a full game," Head Coach
Laura Gebhart said. "The first quarter was phenomenal. We were sticking to simple passing – two touch passing – and they did it so well that we scored two great goals. We did hit some bumps along the way but we held our composure against Sacred Heart's pressure."
The Stags applied their own bit of pressure from the onset, beginning with a run down the right side by
Konni Hofmann. She inserted the ball to the center of the circle but goalkeeper Brianna Cooper kicked the ball away. The rebound landed onto the stick of
Kaelyn Fogelson, who promptly put the ball in the back of the goal less than two minutes into the match.
Fairfield was able to double its advantage just minutes later when
Alex Senior was able to bring the ball into the circle and to find
Camille Perlov waiting near the goal. The sophomore quickly released a shot that beat the goalkeeper to the corner, pushing the advantage to two goals with 5:35 elapsed in the opening quarter.
Defensively, the Stags did not yield a shot through the first 15 minutes as the back line stepped up and kept the Pioneers outside the circle for nearly the entire period. The defensive effort often set up more counter opportunities which the offense translated into nine shots in the second quarter.
Fogelson was the beneficiary of some of that offensive pressure as she tapped in a ball directed toward the goal from Perlov, setting the Stags in excellent shape with a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Sacred Heart was finally able to find some open space in the circle during the period, taking two shots with both being on target. The first shot came from the top of the circle which goalkeeper
Payton Rahn kicked away from danger. The second attempt came from Raena Crandall, a deflection that nicked the far post and bounced into the back of the goal.
With a 3-1 goal lead in hand, Fairfield used it's offense to control the ball and keep Sacred Heart from mounting any real threats. The game centered around more play in the middle third of the pitch, resulting in both sides managing just four shots each over the final 30 minutes.
Rahn finished the game with three saves for Fairfield while Cooper was credited with seven stops over the 60 minutes of play.
The Stags will continue NEC play on Sunday when they host the University of New Haven for a 12 pm game at University Field.
