FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Catherine Fitzgerald couldn't have picked a better time to score her first two goals of the 2025 season than she did today. The midfielder picked up a goal in each half of today's NEC Championship semifinal, leading the top-seeded Fairfield University field hockey team to a 2-0 win over fourth-seeded Rider University.

The victory sends the Stags to the championship game on Saturday, November 8 against third-seeded Wagner College which advanced based on its 1-0 victory over second-seed Saint Francis University. The championship game is set for 12 pm on the Fairfield campus.

"I am so excited to see how this came together for Catherine has been working on her shot all season," Head Coach Laura Gebhart said. "She is such a selfless worker on the field so it's cool to see she earns some credit for all her hard work to this point."

The two teams played to a scoreless draw through the first quarter despite Fairfield enjoying the better of it with its five shots through 15 minutes. Rider's defense stepped up in the second quarter, allowing just two attempts from the Stags' offense. But although the shot total was less, Fairfield made the most of the opportunities.

The first shot on target for either team came just a minute into the second quarter following a penalty corner. Konni Hofmann controlled the ball at the top of the circle and sent a shot toward goal. Before it reached the goalkeeper, Fitzgerald was able to deflect the ball over the outstretched goalkeeper to put the Stags in front, 1-0.

The Stags' front line continued to put pressure on the Rider back line but goalkeeper Jade Regnart kicked away two chances that came off a penalty corner. About a minute later, the Stags were able to counter a Rider attack which resulted in plenty of open space for Alex Senior. The forward carried the ball into the circle and sent a pass to Fitzgerald. She tapped the ball to her backhand and released a hard shot that skipped past the goalkeeper to double the Fairfield advantage to 2-0.

In the fourth quarter, Fairfield was able to keep moving the ball forward and pin the Broncs on their side of the pitch for pretty much the entire quarter. When time expired, the Stags had not allowed a shot over the 60 minutes of play.

"We put together a good game that included a lot of things we have worked on all year including disciplined defense," Coach Gebhart said. "What was good to see was how they weathered some things like our receptions were off and some of our passing decisions were off but we kept fighting and battling back. I'm proud of how they put together a good game and were able to put two goals on the board."