It was a tale of two teams for men’s soccer this past week.
Against Hartwick on Wednesday night, the Stags showed the tough defense that has been the staple of the team all year in a 0-0 tie at Lessing Field.
But against No. 11 Harvard on Saturday in Cambridge, the Stags slipped up and allowed five goals in a 5-0 loss.
Fairfield had not allowed more than three goals in a game since Oct. 10, 2004, in a 4-0 loss to Loyola at Lessing Field.
The Stags are now 5-2-1 heading into their first two MAAC games of the season, against Manhattan and St. Peter’s on Friday and Sunday at Lessing Field.
“We learned a lot about ourselves against Harvard,” said Head Coach Carl Rees. “They are the eighth ranked team in the country and they really took it to us with their pace and athleticism.
“To be fair to our guys they never stopped battling and when we were down 2-0 we took far more chances at the back in an effort to get back into the game, which affected the final score,” he said.
The Stags have not allowed a goal this year at Lessing Field, shutting out Yale, Adelphi and Hartwick at home. The Stags could not break through on Wednesday night either, ending with a 0-0 tie against Hartwick after two overtimes.
“I thought we played very well from the beginning to end, credit to Hartwick for coming in and making it difficult,” said Rees. “Once again our defense gave us an opportunity to win, but sooner or later we have to take these half chances and turn them into goals.”
Both teams played a similar style of defense and the two held each other from attacking the net the entire game. Hartwick Head Coach Ian McIntyre began his career at Fairfield as an assistant coach under Rees and coaches with a similar style.
Both teams had opportunities to score all game, but the goalkeepers and the defense on both sides stepped up to the occasion and stayed strong.
Fairfield nearly allowed a goal to Hartwick as the second half wound down, off a corner kick.
Hartwick’s John Paul Boyle connected with a kick right into the chest of Fairfield defender Pat Kelly ’08 and the ball rolled free toward the net, but Jon Paul Francini ’08 dove on the ball and stopped the scoring chance.
Hartwick out shot Fairfield 13-6 in the first two periods. Both teams took a defensive stance in the two overtime periods, with neither side recording a shot.
Fairfield played a similar game against Harvard as it did against Hartwick, allowing a lot of scoring chances, but the Crimson were able to convert on those chances.
Harvard out shot Fairfield 15-3 in the first half but managed to score just one goal, as Stags goalkeeper Francini recorded six saves to keep them in the game.
The second half was a different story as Fairfield was again badly out shot, 11-6, but this time allowed four goals as Harvard put the game out of reach.
The Stags know that they will need to make changes heading into their first two games of the season in MAAC play.
“We know more about our personality as a team now than at the start of the season,” said Rees. “Now we get to go head to head with our in conference rivals for the right to go to the NCAAs. I have faith in our team that they will compete and give their best for our University.”
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