The men’s soccer team is still in a growing period. The team is adjusting to new faces and the loss of key players last year. Despite not always playing to the best of its ability, Fairfield has started the season 5-1.
In Saturday night’s home game against Adelphi, the Stags admittedly played an average game. Both sides missed chances for open net goals and both sides looked sloppy throughout the game.
However, Fairfield did exactly what it needed to do to win, earning a 1-0 victory in front of a loud student crowd of about 250 students on a rainy night.
After a scoreless first half, Head Coach Carl Rees looked to his offensive players to pick up the pace and take the pressure off of the defense, which had been holding off a strong Adelphi attack all game long.
The Stags came through with the game’s lone goal eight minutes into the second half. Aldo Hope ’09 sent a pass to Christian Uy ’10, who ripped a shot at the goal, which was blocked by the goalkeeper. The rebound bounced off of his chest and back to Uy, who delivered a second shot that found the back of the net.
“It was a great pass from Hope,” said Uy. “Once it got by the defenders, it set me up one on one with the goalkeeper.”
The Stags held on to pick up the 1-0 victory and their third straight shutout.
“We did enough to win the game and that is the most important thing,” said Rees. “At this point of the season, if we were firing on all cylinders for 90 minutes, we would worry about peaking too early.”
“What [the Stags] have shown today, particularly in the second half, is character and determination against a very feisty Adelphi team. It’s going to take strong character to win and they showed that today,” added Rees.
Though the offense has been off and on, the defense has been solid all season, allowing just three goals in six games, with two of them coming in Fairfield’s lone loss of the season to Boston College 2-0 on Sept. 7.
The Stags have not allowed a goal since the 18:24 mark of the Boston College game, holding opponents scoreless for three and a half games. Senior goalie J.P. Francini’s goals-against average has been lowered to 0.50, which is 12th best in the nation and the best in the MAAC.
“It’s been a collective defensive effort. J.P. has been great, there is also 10 guys in front of J.P.,” said Rees. “But he has come up big for us when we have called upon him, as he has throughout his career.”
The Stags relied upon Francini to make big saves multiple times against Adelphi, as he finished with four saves. With six minutes left in the game he made his best save of the night, stopping Adelphi’s Patrick Figueiredo on a header off a free kick, diving to his right to make the save.
Fairfield also had many chances to score that were not capitalized on. The Stags had a chance to take an early lead at the 27:24 mark of the first half when Sam Bailey ’08 raced free down the left sideline, drawing the goalkeeper out, and made a pass across to Uy, who shot on an open net but could not connect.
The Stags also had a chance to put away the game with two minutes left and to end any chance of an Adelphi comeback. David Piedrahita ’10 dribbled through the defense with a spectacular move and then put a pass right on the head of Bailey, who just clipped the cross bar, narrowly missing his fifth goal of the season.
Rees said he believes the Stags showed their true character and toughness during the game against Adelphi, when the referee, who issued a combined seven yellow cards and stopped the clock many times, slowed the game’s pace dramatically.
“Every referee has a certain style, this particular referee liked to start and stop the game, which disrupted the rhythm of the game,” said Rees. “But it was the same for both teams.”
The game was scrappy right from the start, but the referee did not assert himself into the action until 11 minutes remained in the first half, when he called his first yellow card. From there on the referee called a foul and often a yellow card on every physical play.
The Stags nearly found themselves down a player after a sideline altercation between Kerr McLeod ’09 and an Adelphi player. McLeod shoved down the player and earned himself a yellow card.
“We played an all right game but did enough to win,” said Uy. “But now we know what it takes to win.”
Fairfield was ranked sixth in the first Massey Ratings of the season, which ranks teams based on offensive and defensive production, as well as strength of schedule. The Stags have not moved into the top 25 of the NSCAA rankings but are receiving votes.
“I can take away from this game the fact that we are 5-1 and are learning as a group,” said Rees. “It’s a humble group that is working hard in training and enjoying some success, but we have two very tough games ahead and we will push on to them.”
The Stags looked to extend their consecutive shutout streak to four games against Hartwick at Lessing Field on Wednesday night.
That game will provide a final tune-up before their match-up against No. 9 Harvard in Cambridge on Sept. 29, where Fairfield will look to avenge last year’s 2-1 loss at Lessing Field, which ended its 13-game regular-season home-unbeaten streak.
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