FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team will open up their 2026 campaign when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the UNC Tar Heels on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7pm. The Stags enter the season after back-to-back conference regular season championships and were recently picked atop of the Metro Conference standings with nine first place votes in the Preseason Poll.
 
The Stags hold a 33-5-3 overall record and a 20-1-3 mark over those last two campaigns which features two regular season titles and the 2025 MAAC Championship. They hold the highest winning percentage in Division I during those two seasons.
 
Fairfield was once again picked to contend for the conference title, gaining nine of the 13 first place votes from the head coaches of the Metro Conference – rebranded from the MAAC. Individually, four student-athletes were also selected to the All-Metro Preseason squad with: Ashley McMahon, Brooke Walonis, Cassidy Clinton, and Payton Zaun all receiving recognition.
 
The Stags bring back six of their 10 All-Conference performers from last season but graduated 55 percent of their scoring offense. Highlighted among those key graduates was two-time MAAC Golden Boot Maddy Theriault who finished second all-time in the Fairfield record books with 113 points and 46 career goals. She was also the only Stag in program history to earn four spots on the All-MAAC First Team.
 
In total, the Stags graduated three major award winners including Theriault. The MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Meghan Carragher and the Golden Glove winner Katie Wright also graduated after four seasons with the Stags. Carragher logged over 6,000 minutes on the defensive line during her career while Wright broke the program's all-time wins record with 53 victories in net.
 
Fairfield does return six All-MAAC performers including a pair of First Team selections in Zaun and Walonis. Zaun was the only freshman in the league to receive a spot on the First Team after notching 10 points on three goals and four assists during her rookie season. Walonis was part of a Fairfield defensive back line that allowed 0.63 goals and just 8.7 shots per match last season.
 
The Stags found their success last season with an up-tempo offense that ranked seventh in the nation in scoring offense while scoring 49 total goals. Fairfield has made their name by putting pressure on their opposition and averaged nearly 22 shots per game which placed third among the entire Division I landscape.
 
McMahon will be Fairfield's leading returning goal scorer after tallying eight scores during her first season with the squad. Ashlyn Walsh is the team's leading returning play makers after a team-high nine assists last season and 16 in her career.
 
Defensively, the Stags ranked 10th in the country with a 0.632 goals against average and will return integral defensive pieces in: Walonis, Cassidy Clinton, Krista Tehan, and Phoebe George.  
 
Junior Alyssa Gluting made two starts and seven appearances as a netminder last season, recording a 0.80 goals against average with one shutout.
 
Three-time MAAC Coach of the Year, David Barrett add eight newcomers to the squad with seven freshmen and one graduate transfer.
 
In his nine seasons with the Stags, Barrett has totaled 86 wins and led the Stags to their first-ever Top-25 ranking by Top Drawer Soccer last season. In his 26-year coaching career he has accumulated 320 victories, six conference Coach of the Year awards, and nine appearances in the NCAA tournament.
 
Fairfield will face North Carolina for the first time in program history. The Tar Heels are ranked eighth in the national preseason poll, after advancing to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to TCU in penalty kicks.
 
The Stags will next travel to face UMass Lowell on the road on Sunday night at 6pm.