Junior midfielder Matt Ernst heads the ball against Canisius, while sophomore teammate Chris Boyer stands by. (Ali Russoniello/The Mirror)
Following a loss to Niagara on Friday night and without their leading scorer, Jack Burridge, for possibly the remainder of the season, the Stags faced elimination from the MAAC playoffs on their Senior Day Sunday at Lessing Field.
But Fairfield was able to battle to a 2-0 victory over Canisius to secure the fourth seed in the MAAC Tournament, which will be played at Fairfield on Friday and Sunday.
This season bares a striking resemblance to last year when the Stags lost to Niagara towards the end of the year. The loss led to a five-game winning streak and MAAC championship.
“We were beaten by the game today,” said head coach Carl Rees following the loss to Niagara. “We were the better side, totally out shot them, totally outplayed them.”
In the opening 30 minutes of the game, Fairfield outshot Niagara by a 6-1 count. At the end of the game Fairfield had ten shots and Niagara had seven. There was no question in Rees’ mind that the team needed to be focused this past weekend in securing a spot in the MAAC tournament.
The first round of the MAAC Tournament is this Friday against big rival Loyola. The last meeting between Loyola and Fairfield ended in a 0-0 tie in which much help was needed from freshman goalie Michael O’Keeffe. Last season the Stags defeated Loyola in the finals of the MAAC Tournament, upsetting the Greyhounds and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament. For the Stags to repeat, O’Keeffe will need another strong showing.
“He just needs to prepare like he did last week and we’ll get to the MAAC Championship and defend the MAAC Championship like we have,” said Assistant Coach Justin Burse. Burse was the starting goalkeeper last year and has been a mentor to O’Keeffe, a New Zealand native, in helping him adjust to the speed of Division 1 soccer.
“It’s going to be heated, it’s going to be close, and it’s going to be an amazing game,” O’Keeffe said.
During the game against Niagara, sophomore forward Jack Burridge, who has a team-high eight goals on the season, fell hard to the ground and needed medical attention.
“Initial reports are that he will be done for the year,” said Rees, who added that Burridge may have ankle ligament damage that would keep him out of the tournament.
“He has been our main goal scorer, but we have plenty more people capable of scoring goals,” said O’Keeffe.
After Friday’s loss, the Stags knew that a win against Canisius was crucial in keeping their MAAC playoff hopes alive. Senior Christian Uy scored an early goal to put the Stags ahead and to secure a win.
“It’s always important to score an early goal and set the tone from there,” said Christian Uy.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in the half, junior Tucker Nathans made a run down the left side, crossing the ball to the center of the box about four yards from the goal where Shane Kurtz dove for the ball and headed it into the net making it a 2-0 advantage.
According to sophomore Matthew Uy, Christian’s brother, the right mentality is crucial for upcoming opponent Loyola. “It’s going to be a bit of a dog fight,” said Matthew.
“We are preparing for Friday just like any other game this season,” Matthew added.
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