FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With the regular season completed, the Fairfield University field hockey now sets its sights on the postseason. The top-seeded Stags will host the 2025 NEC Field Hockey Championship this week with the semifinals scheduled for Thursday, November 6 and the championship game slated for Saturday, November 8. All games will take place at University Field on the Fairfield main campus.

In Thursday's semifinals, Fairfield will host fourth-seeded Rider University at 11 am followed by second-seeded Saint Francis University taking on third-seeded Wagner College at 2 pm. The two winners will meet for the tournament title at 12 pm on Saturday with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA championship.

Fairfield garnered the top seed by winning the regular-season title, posting an unblemished 9-0 record during the conference season. That run of conference wins fed into the team's 10-game winning streak, the longest regular-season winning streak in school history and second overall only to the 2019 squad's 12-gamer which included three postseason decisions.

The team has a balanced attack this year that has led to 69 goals in 18 games, an average of 3.83 goals per game which ranks fourth in Division I. In fact, their 69 goals this season is the second-highest goal total in the nation coming into the week, a number which comes from 14 different players scoring at least one goal this year.

"Our offense is really complimentary so if someone is having an off day, there is someone there to pick you up," Head Coach Laura Gebhart said. "So credit the team for being willing to play that type of game where it is passing off, it is changing the line of attack, it is being selfless which lends itself to spreading the wealth."

At the top of Fairfield's scoring list is senior Konni Hofmann who has tallied 12 goals in 18 games this season. She is one of 15 players in school history to tally 12 goals in a season. Forward Alex Senior is also a double-digit goal scorer for the Stags, posting 10 goals so far which raises her career total to 28 which ranks seventh all-time in the Fairfield record book.

Defender Pilar Mengotti has also been active inside the opposition's circle this year, registering a personal-best nine goals with six assists for 24 points to date. Newcomer Kaelyn Fogelson has enjoyed a stellar start to her Fairfield career with eight goals and three assists for 19 points, averaging just over a point per game played.

Fifth-year goalkeeper Payton Rahn has continued to build on her career numbers this season, adding 49 saves to her career total which has led to a .662 save percentage. She is also averaging 1.49 goals against this season, which ranks 26^th in the nation.

Saint Francis secured the number two seed after posting a 14-4 overall record and an 8-1 mark in NEC play, totals that were enhanced by the program's 11-game winning streak. Sofia Marciano has been the offensive mainstay for the Red Flash, scoring 19 goals and adding two assists for 40 points. She ranks 11^th in Division I field hockey with 1.06 goals per game and 17^th in points per game with 2.22 per outing. Goalkeeper Mia DiGenova holds the best goals against average in the NEC, allowing just 1.31 goals per game along with a conference-best 11 shutouts.

Wagner brings a 7-11 overall record with a 6-3 NEC mark, winning three of its last four conference match ups. Floortje Leunisse places first among her teammates with eight goals and six assists for 22 points. She is responsible for four of the team's seven game-winning goals, a number which ties her with Rider's Valeria Perales for the top spot in that category among NEC student-athletes. Goalkeeper Saar Van Dalen has posted a 2.47 goals against average this season, making 82 saves for a .672 goals against average.

Rider owns an 8-9 overall record with a 5-4 NEC slate, winning its season finale over Wagner in overtime which clinched the final spot in the NEC Championship. Perales tallied the game-winning goal in that game which came in the first overtime. Her statistics line includes 13 goals with six assists for 32 points, placing her 23^rd in the nation with 1.88 points per game. Jade Regnart has spent most of the minutes in the Rider goal, sporting a 2.62 goals against average with a .734 save percentage off 127 stops.