What do the NFL’s New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens all have in common? It is not unlikely that the Fairfield mens soccer team might outscore them if they played against them next Sunday.
After shutting out Adelphi University 5-0 last Tuesday, the Stags mirrored the effort with a 5-0 drubbing of winless Manhattan last Sunday at Lessing Field. Sophomore Mike Scott led the offensive excursion with his first two collegiate goals, as the team completed its most dominant week yet, and improved to 6-3-3 overall and 2-0-1 in teh MAAC.
“The game against Manhattan was a big boost for us,” Scott said. “We played great from the start.”
In addition to the team’s offensive onslaught, senior goaltender Andrew Frankel earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fifth time this year, and freshman teammate Aldo Hope, coming off a hat trick against Adelphi, was named MAAC Rooke of the Week.
Frankel has not been scored on in his previous 320 minutes, allowed no goals in the past three games, and has only allowed eight goals all season in twelve games.
He leads the MAAC with a miniscule 0.64 goals against average.
Eight-year Head Coach Carl Rees was the first to commend the Stags’ recent success, but he said he understands the challenges his young team will face in the coming weeks against the heart of the conference schedule.
“The team has shown great focus and competitive maturity in training and games,” he said. “All this has been great for our morale and camaraderie. However, there is still work to be done. None of our remaining fixtures stand out above the others, and all are MAAC conference matches are crucial and will require maximum effort.”
With six games to play before post-season consideration, Fairfield plays only two at home and has a pivotal road match up with conference leader Loyola this Sunday.
The Stags will look to continue their success in Lawrenceville, N.J., this Friday against a hapless Rider club, and the Stags’ defense will face a stalwart Niagara offense at home the following Friday.
The Purple Eagles are the current conference leaders in goals scored, goals per game, shots, and points. The Stags have the best overall winning percentage in the conference at .833, but trail Loyola (3-1-0 MAAC, 5-7-1 overall) by two points, and St. Peters College (2-0-2 MAAC, 6-5-3 overall) by one in the conference standings.
Offensively, the Stags have already equalled its total number of goals from last season, with strong individual performances from Bill Androutsos ’06 (five goals, three assists), Hope ’09 (five goals), Sam Bailey ’08 (three goals, four assists), and Scott ’08 (three goals).
In addition to its offensive prowess, the team also leads the conference in a number of defensive categories such as goals against average, goals allowed and shutouts.
The Stags have allowed only eight goals all season, which is ten better than Iona (18) which ranks second in this conference statistic.
Ranked fifth in New England by the National Coaches Association of America, Fairfield is also one of two teams that is currently undefeated in the MAAC (St. Peters).
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