FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champions Fairfield University Women's Soccer team was voted to repeat that success as they were chosen the MAAC Preseason favorites by the league's coaches in the preseason poll. Senior forward Maddy Theriault was unanimously chosen as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, highlighting a group of four Stags who were tabbed with All-MAAC Preseason honors which includes: Meghan Carragher, Sam Kersey, and Ashlyn Walsh.
 
"With regard to being tabbed as the favorite going into the season, it honestly comes with the territory," Head Coach David Barrett, the reigning MAAC Coach of the Year said. "After winning the double last year, I would expect to carry the burden of the team everyone is chasing in 2025. It is something we relish and it will keep us focused as we get into our competitions this fall."
 
The Stags are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, claiming their first MAAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. Fairfield tied a program record with 18 wins as part of their 18-3-1 overall record, tallying the fourth-highest winning percentage in the country. Fairfield was also dominant at home, earning a perfect 13-0 record on Lessing Field culminating with their three victories in the MAAC Championships.
 
A big reason of that success was the play of the MAAC Golden Boot winner Maddy Theriault, who led the MAAC and finished in the top-25 in the nation with 13 goals and 32 total points. She scored the game-winning goal in the MAAC Championship Final, earning the MAAC Championship MVP award. She was also named to the All-New England First Team while getting All-Region and ECAC Second Team honors. Theriault was the only student-athlete of the 13 preseason honorees to receive an unanimous selection.
 
"We are blessed to have some very good returning players whose past performances have clearly been regarded as significant by the coaches in the conference," Coach Barrett said. "Maddy is now mature enough to cope with the expectations which accompany a player of her ability and accomplishments. I expect her to thrive under the bright lights that will be focused on her as we move forward this fall. Meg has been an amazing role model and captain for the program, and is definitely one of the best defenders in the conference."
 
Theriault's senior classmate – and fellow 2024 All-MAAC First Team honoree – Meghan Carragher also earned a spot on the All-MAAC Preseason team as part of the defense. Carragher started all 22 matches while logging 1911 of a possible 1980 minutes during Fairfield's championship season. She anchored a backline that held their conference opponents to just 5.6 shots per contest with 2.5 on goal while tallying ten shutouts…She also recorded the assist on the Championship winning tally against Quinnipiac.
 
Another rising senior and First Team All-MAAC honoree last season, Kersey scored a career-high five goals while adding two assists and starting 21 of her 22 appearances. She tallied a point in three-straight matches and netted two goals in the MAAC Semifinal win over Manhattan.
 
Walsh was named to the All-MAAC Third Team after her rookie season, totaling 17 points in her rookie season with five goals and a team-leading seven assists. She tallied a point in eight of her first nine matches which included back-to-back goals in her first two collegiate matches against Holy Cross and the game-winner against Central Connecticut. She placed second in the MAAC and eighth in the nation in assists among freshmen.
 
The Stags received 11 of the 13 first place votes among the league's coaches with second-place Quinnipiac getting the other two. Siena and Canisius rounded out the top-four.
 
Fairfield will open their 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 14, with a road game at Holy Cross at 6pm.