Sixty grueling minutes had passed. As the final horn blared and the seconds expired, the entire team ‘- offense and defense, seniors and freshman’- celebrated near the end line to congratulate the unlikeliest of heroes.
‘It isn’t always easy to throw someone to the wolves like that,’ head coach Andy Copelan joked of freshman goalkeeper Charlie Cipriano, who saved five shots in the game’s final minutes to preserve a 10-9 season-opening victory over Delaware, the first of his collegiate career.
‘But we’ve come to expect performances out of that from him,’ Copelan added.
It turns out performances like that are becoming the norm, and Copelan’s rookie goalkeeper is beginning to boast the look of a team leader and one of the conference’s top goalkeepers.
Cipriano, who has been credited with a victory in all four games this season, has been the ultimate catalyst for Fairfield’s early-season success. In only career six starts, the freshman from Williston Park, N.Y., has guided Fairfield to a 4-2 start, which matches the program’s win total from a season ago.
Immediate results are not new to Cipriano, who was a four-year letter winner for Herrick High School in New Hyde Park, N.Y. A second-team All-American in his senior season,
Cipriano was a letter-winner in each of his four seasons in net. Teammates also named him as their most valuable player in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Initially, Cipriano was unsure of his place in the Fairfield roster, let alone potentially earn a starting job from the outset.
‘It helped to have a new coach, who right away said, ‘Everyone here has a chance to play.” Cipriano said. ‘I took every practice like it was a game and fell into a’ groove. I played really well early (in practice) and in the spring season’
Now that the real season is underway, Cipriano’s seamless transition has translated to team success. He has recorded double-digit save efforts in all four wins this season.’
‘It’s definitely been a change, moving over to the college game,’ Cipriano said. ‘Everything is faster, the game is a lot quicker. But it’s been great to get a few under my belt right away.’
In the Stags’ most recent win against Penn State, Cipriano turned away 22 shots, – four of which came in the fourth quarter to help preserve the tie.
‘That was probably our biggest game of the year so far,’ Cipriano said of the win.
Much like Fairfield, Cipriano’s strong start is beginning to garner national attention within the athletic community.
This past week, the freshman was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Week, his second rookie award and third conference acknowledgment this season. Cipriano was also named Defensive Player of the Week following the Stags’ win over Delaware on Feb. 21.
Individually, his four victories not only top the high-mark for any Fairfield goalie a year ago (junior Joe Marra led the team with three last season), but also tie the best start to a goalkeeper’s career in program history.
In 2005, Mike Kruger ’07 won four of his first six career starts in his sophomore season. Kruger was in net for the team’s eventual Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Ironically, Kruger and the Stags beat Penn State, 11-10, in overtime in Happy Valley that season prior to a road game against Hobart, the exact same schedule Cipriano and Fairfeld faces this season. Kruger held the Statesmen to eight goals in the game and led Fairfield to an 11-8 victory.
Despite his recent success, Cipriano is staying focused as the upcoming ECAC schedule and the task at hand.’
‘We’ve really looking forward to it,’ Cipriano said of Saturday’s game against Hobart. ‘Coach (Copelan) says it all the time and really drives it home that we’re the only team in the conference that controls our own destiny. If we win out, we have a chance to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
‘To even have a chance at that is huge,’ Cipriano added.
Copelan echoed similar themes.
‘I think obviously winning is important and everybody puts a lot of stock in that, certainly me more than anybody,’ Copelan said. ‘Right now, though, we just have to focus on continuous improvement.’
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