EDISON, N.J. – The Fairfield University Women's Soccer team was chosen as the preseason favorites in the Metro Conference while receiving nine of the 13 first place votes from the league's head coaches. Individually, the Stags had four selections to the preseason squad with: Ashley McMahon, Payton Zaun, Brooke Walonis, and Cassidy Clinton all receiving recognition from around the league. Fairfield is coming off two-straight conference regular season championships while holding a 20-1-3 record against conference opponents during that span.
 
"As always, I'm happy for the players to have the recognition they so richly deserve," Head Coach David Barrett said. "We have a number of really good players, and certainly coaches in The Metro are well aware of them. However, while nice to have these accolades for us individually and collectively, we know that all the work needs to be done on the field. We had a nice year in 2025, but fell short in the end. For us to have a target on our back again this year just means we need to continue to be a moving target by growing and evolving every day.
 
Fairfield returns six of 10 student-athletes who received all-conference accolades last season including First Team selections Brooke Walonis and Payton Zaun, Second Team pick Ashley McMahon, and Third Team honorees: Ashlyn Walsh, Kayleigh Lukasik, and Cassidy Clinton.
 
McMahon is the team's leading returning scorer after contributing 19 points on eight goals and three assists during her first season with the Stags. All eight of her scores came against conference opponents, tying her for third in the league in scoring. She tallied a point in six-straight matches including providing the game-winning assist against Siena.
 
Walonis and Clinton started all 19 matches for the Stags on the defensive end with each logging over 1400 minutes. The duo were part of a back line that recorded a 0.63 goals against average while opponents averaged just 3.3 shots on goal per game.
 
Zaun was the only freshman to appear in last year's All-MAAC First Team after tallying three goals and four assists during her rookie season. She was a two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week while scoring three goals in a four-match span during conference play.
 
Fairfield received nine first place votes in the preseason poll ranking ahead of second place Sacred Heart and third place Quinnipiac. The Stags have won back-to-back regular season titles and three in the last four campaigns. They have boasted a 33-5-3 overall record – which includes a 20-1-3 conference mark – over the last two seasons while holding the highest winning percentage in Division I during that span.