After a well-needed seven days of rest following a disappointing 6-4 loss against Northeastern University, the Fairfield University field hockey (8-2, 1-0) team returned to the field on Friday, Oct. 4. They faced our neighborhood foes, Sacred Heart University (1-10, 1-0), for their first Northeast Conference match of the season.
Competition was stiff, and despite Fairfield’s obviously dominant aggression, their 22 total shots compared to the Pioneers’ one in 60 minutes of regulation time still resulted in a forced period of over time. Of those 22 shots, 16 were on target but Sacred Heart’s formidable defense in conjunction with a brick wall of a goalie made it impossible for Fairfield to snag a lead. Hailey Power guarded the cage for the Pioneers, where she racked up an impressive 14 saves. Meanwhile, Fairfield’s Zoe Rosen ‘21 was only tasked with making a single save.
First-year Julianna Kratz delivered a pass to Luzi Persiehl ‘22 in the circle, who blasted it past Power to give Fairfield what they needed to win the conference opener. This would be Perseihl’s second overtime game-winning goal of the season.
The team, ranked 23rd in the national, wasted no time celebrating the 1-0 win. They left for Worcester, Mass. to face the College of the Holy Cross (5-2) on Sunday, Oct. 6 where they picked up their second consecutive win. The 3-1 defeat was claimed in the latter half of play, where Fairfield showed their strength.
With 60 seconds remaining in the second period, Holy Cross established a lead that would only last until the beginning of the third. It was at this point when Fairfield responded to pressure and turned up the heat. First year Page Lowry secured a loose ball rebounded off of Persiehl’s shot and turned it back, counting her fifth goal this fall. The Stags erupted in the final quarter, when Danielle Profita ‘21 and Kratz scored within two minutes of each other, generating a 3-1 advantage that Holy Cross failed to chip away at.
The Stags’ 3-1 victory in conjunction with their clean sweep at home creates a great sense of morale as they head into another NEC contest, this time away at Bryant University (1-11, 0-1).
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