FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the third time in four matches, the Fairfield University field hockey offense found its rhythm early and used that success to ride out a 4-2 win over Brown University on Sunday afternoon.
"Brown is gritty team and we knew that we had to match that today," Head Coach
Laura Gebhart said. "We had moments where we played Fairfield field hockey which led us to get the outcome they we wanted."
Both teams found difficulty cracking the back lines of their opposition early in the game with the two teams combining for 11 shots over the first 30 minutes. Fortunately for the Stags, they were able to gain more consistency inside the circle which led three penalty corners. The set pieces allowed Fairfield to break through and take early control of the match.
The home team posted the game's first goal midway through the first quarter when
Alice Pifferi inserted the ball from a penalty corner which landed on the stick of
Noor Hellemans. She sent the ball over
Emily Carney who one-timed a shot that caught the far corner of the cage, putting Fairfield in front by a goal.
The second quarter was even more fruitful for Fairfield as the team was able to add a pair of goals to its total to secure a 3-0 lead by intermission. The team's second goal came off the resiliency of Hellemans, who intercepted a clearing attempt inside the circle and sent the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.
Alyse Wanchisen benefited from a penalty corner insertion from Piferri, who sent the ball directly to her teammate. Wanchisen directed the ball into the goal from left side of the circle for a three-goal advantage.
Fairfield pushed the score to 4-0 in the third quarter courtesy of penalty stroke whistled on the goalkeeper in the fourth minute of the fourth quarter.
Kylie Corcoran grabbed the nod and promptly executed the stroke into the back of the net.
Down four goals with just over 12 minutes remaining, Brown stepped up its attack and quickly gained one of those goals back. Elizabeth Burger posted an unassisted goal less than a minute after the penalty stroke to draw the visitors to back within in three goals.
Brown continued to make its case for a come back with a second goal courtesy of Frances Moriniere. She secured a rebound and quickly pushed the shot back toward goal, beating the goalkeeper to change to the scoreboard to 4-2.
While the Bears secured nine of their shots in the final period, Fairfield goalkeeper
Georgia McDade stayed active with three saves in the fourth quarter. The sophomore finished the match with nine saves while facing 19 shots from the Brown offense.
The Fairfield University field hockey team will return home for a pair of games next weekend, beginning with the program's first CAA match on Friday afternoon against Drexel University. The weekend continues with a non-conference match versus the University of Vermont on Sunday.
