The Fairfield University field hockey team played host to a two-game home stand this past week at Lessing Field. The first game took place this past Friday, Oct. 20 against conference foe Rider University, with game two commencing two days later on Sunday, Oct. 22 against Long Island University.
Game one saw the Stags put on a spirited effort, as they downed the Broncs in a 4-1 triumph. The keys to victory featured strong ball possession and capitalizing on penalties. Fairfield scored three of their four goals off of penalty corners. They also outshot the Broncs by a lopsided 16-4 margin.
After a loose ball got Rider up early, the Stags earned themselves a penalty corner and ran away with it. As forward Lucie Vincent ‘27 buried a shot past the Rider goaltender with some help from hybrid midfielder and defender Noor Hellemans ‘27 and graduate student defender Frances Mirabile to find the equalizer ten minutes into the game. Eight minutes later, they obtained their second penalty corner, and sure enough, they took full advantage again, as Vincent made a quick feed to hybrid midfielder and forward Catalina Ness ‘27 to put the Stags in the driver’s seat for the first time.
They weren’t finished yet, as yet another penalty corner was awarded to the herd as Mirabile and Helleman sought defender Pilar Mengotti ‘26, who sniped one through to make it a 3-1 advantage at the 22-minute mark. Vincent, at even strength, then scored her second goal on the outing with some help from Helleman, Noor and Mirabile to make it 4-1. That was all she wrote, as Fairfield put the game in the books at that score.
“Our execution was excellent today,” Coach Kane said, according to the game’s official press release. “From the insertion to the final touch, we were able to put practically every shot on goal that came from a corner. It’s something that we constantly work on during our training.”
Two days later, Fairfield clinched a portion of the share of the Northeastern Conference (NEC) regular season championship with a win over the Sharks of Long Island University. The Sharks proved that they have certain limitations in Stag Country, as they were held at bay in a 2-0 shutout.
Not much action took place early on, but Fairfield got their first goal at the 25th minute mark off the stick of forward Dominique Vanderzee ‘27 with an assist from midfielder Augustina Casteluchi ‘25 off of a penalty corner. She was then joined by Vincent on the score sheet, who scored off a cross from the right to center circle from defender Catherine Fitzgerald ‘27. Fairfield goaltender Payton Rahn ‘24 made three saves on the day, securing the shutout for the herd.
“LIU was a well-organized team and their goalkeeper played really well,” Head Coach Jackie Kane said, according to the game’s official press release. “But we generated chances and took advantage when the opportunity was created. Payton made an incredible save at the end to keep us in front by two.”
In other news, Vincent was honored as the NEC Offensive Player of the Week in addition to obtaining Rookie of the Week honors. She has been a force for the Stags this season, as she has averaged 1.47 points per game in his maiden season in the red, white, and black. In addition to her nine goals, she also has 22 assists in 15 games.
The Stags will next play Merrimack College in Andover, Mass., on Friday, Oct. 26, before busing to Worcester, Mass., to take on the College of Holy Cross to close out NEC regular season play on Sunday, Oct. 28. The Stags carry a 6-0 conference record along with a 12-3 overall record on the season.
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