The women’s soccer team kicked off the MAAC conference portion of their schedule this past weekend, playing both Rider and Loyola on the road. They split the series, winning against Rider, but falling to Loyola.
Fairfield now boasts a 8-3-2 overall record and a 1-1 MAAC record.
Despite splitting the opening games, head coach Jim O’Brien feels his team is still ahead of schedule.
‘I think as young as we are, we are ahead of schedule,’ said O’Brien. ‘We are getting a great deal of respect from opponents.’
Fairfield has struggled to score in recent games, scoring only two goals in the past four games. O’Brien said that teams are focusing more on stopping the Stags’ attack.
‘At Rider, we played against a set defense, where the priority was to keep us at bay and it was very difficult to break down,’ said O’Brien. ‘Loyola played a formation with only one attacker and played close to the vest.’
Fairfield was also hurt by the absence of senior midfielder Ahna Johnson, who sat out against Loyola.
Fairfield opened the weekend with a 2-1 win in double-overtime to beat Rider.
The game came down to the wire, as freshmen Spenser Allaway scored off a ball from sophomore Nicole Cavallaro with 86 seconds left in the final overtime to earn the Stags the win. Junior Chrissie Sidie scored the first goal for Fairfield, giving the Stags a 1-0 lead.
Fairfield then traveled to Loyola, but was unable to earn a result, falling 1-0.
‘I think we had three games on the road and spent 22 hours on a bus the past week,’ said O’Brien. ‘Obviously, it’s a big rivalry and has been in past years, but I feel that it’s a friendly rivalry.
‘We have a lot of respect for them and they have respect for us. It was a good, quality soccer game,’ O’Brien added.
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