Senior midfielder Sam Bailey grew up in Cheshire, England, spending every free minute either playing or watching soccer.
After talking to the Stags’ men’s soccer Head Coach Carl Rees, he decided to make the move across the ocean to play at Fairfield.
Rees is also a native of England and made the trip to visit Bailey to convince him that Fairfield was the best place to continue his soccer career.
“I tried out for the England Schoolboy team [the U-18 National Team] and they told us about the experience of coming over here [to America],” said Bailey. “They asked us if we wanted to write our name down on a list, which they passed on to coaches.”
“I got a few calls and one of them was from Coach Rees. He took the time to come to England and watch me play and told me about Fairfield. I really liked the way he approached soccer, his energy and vision of the team,” said Bailey.
Bailey has taken full advantage of the chance to play at Fairfield and is close to leaving the Stags as the leader in career goals and points.
He currently has 20 career goals and 55 career points, which puts him in second and fourth place on the all-time lists.
With three more goals and nine more points he will move into first place in both categories.
“For me, leaving as the leading scorer would cap off a great four years,” said Bailey. “If I don’t finish on top of the career list, fine, because we’ve accomplished so much as a team. But on a personal note, it would be great to leave like that.”
Bailey has been the poster player for the Stags coaching staff since his arrival.
“Sam shows up everyday, gives his all and leads by example,” said Rees. “He is a true footballer; he is passionate about it, and it is a big part of his life.”
Last year, Bailey was a key contributor on the Stags’ MAAC Championship winning team, placing second on the team to Alex Cunliffe ’07 with 16 points (six goals and four assists).
His performance earned him a spot on the All-MAAC First Team and he was a candidate for the MAAC Player of the Year Award, falling short to Juan Gaviria of St. Peter’s.
But Bailey helped lead the Stags over St. Peter’s in the MAAC Championship game.
In the pre-season, the Stags’ midfielder was named to the All-MAAC Preaseason team but again fell short to Gaviria in the Preseason Player of the Year category.
This season, Bailey has been the leading scorer for the Stags, with three goals in four games. His six points puts him in second place in the MAAC.
He has scored the game-winning goal in all three Fairfield victories, and his performance the first week of the season in games against St. John’s and Buffalo earned him the College Soccer News Player of the Week award, the first Stag player to win it.
“I think Sam Bailey will be a key part of the team, especially in replacing some of the goals that Cunliffe gave us last year,” said Rees.
Fairfield played its first home game on Saturday night and picked up a 1-0 victory over Yale and then defeated Hartford 4-0 on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs were shut down by strong defense and goalkeeper J.P. Francini ’08, while Bailey’s lone goal provided the winning goal.
Bailey took a pass from freshman Matthew Uy and converted on the goal.
“Sam does a great job,” said Rees. “We asked him to penetrate through the defense and get into the box. He did the same thing against St. John’s.”
Bailey added another goal and two assists against Hartford to become the first Stag to score 10 points. Francini picked up his third shutout, the best in the MAAC.
Bailey’s main strength is his leadership on the field. He considers himself a strong vocal leader and he earned the captain’s role for this season.
“Sam is reliable and represents what we as coaches think is important,” said Rees. “He is diligent, honest, doesn’t shank responsibility and commands respect. He is genuinely a good guy and has a great personality.”
“He is the best player on the team and has great leadership ability,” said Christian Uy ’10. “He basically represents what our mentality is: to work and play hard. He is engaged in the leader role.”
Bailey feels that his energy before the games is something that he can pass onto his teammates, helping to motivate them when they need it.
He hopes to continue playing after college, but is not sure what the future holds.
“To be honest, right now I’m not too sure. I want to pursue soccer as much as I can, to try and play,” Bailey said. “I’ll take a while to make sure I stay in shape and see if I can pick something up along the line and try and go pro.”
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