FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champions Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will open up their 2025 schedule when they travel to face the Holy Cross Crusaders on Thursday at 6pm on ESPN+. The Stags are coming off one of their best seasons in school history, earning the program's eighth MAAC Championship while tying a program-record with 18 wins. Fairfield also maintained the fourth-highest winning percentage in the nation last season with their 18-3-1 overall record.
 
The Stags displayed historic offensive success during their championship run, ranking in the top-10 nationally with 52 total goals. Fairfield returns 63 percent of those scores from last season, graduating half of their top-eight goal scorers.
 
Fairfield does return the MAAC Golden Boot winner in Maddy Theriault who led the MAAC and finished 20th in the country with 13 goals scored. In her three seasons as a Stag, Theriault ranks fifth all-time with 31 goals, the highest total by any student-athlete in 21 years.
 
For her success, Theriault was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and was one of four Stags to earn Preseason honors from the conference joining: Sam Kersey, Meghan Carragher, and Ashlyn Walsh. That quartet combined for 24 goals and 18 assists last season while all earning All-MAAC honors.
 
Aside from the offense, the Stags' defense also led them to success as Fairfield limited their opponents to just under 8.0 shots per game including only 5.6 against conference opponents.
 
Senior goalkeeper Katie Wright was a part of 16 of those victories, the second-most in a season in program history. In her career, Wright ranks third in wins with 40, nine shy of tying the all-time mark set by Anne Lyons in 2000.
 
Holy Cross was selected tied for eighth in the Patriot League Preseason poll after earning five victories last season. This will be the 17th meeting between the two schools with Fairfield holding a 13-1-2 all-time advantage.
 
Fairfield will continue their three-game road trip with a visit to Rutgers on Sunday at 5pm.