Despite facing a Loyola team that entered the game unbeaten in its last 22 games and ranked No. 7 in the nation, the Fairfield men’s soccer team was not nervous, even after allowing a goal just three minutes into the game.
Instead, the Stags continued to fight on and managed to knot the score at 1-1 before the first half came to a close. But in the end the Greyhounds high-energy offensive attack was too much, and the Stags allowed a go-ahead goal 15:55 into the second half.
The result was a 2-1 loss for Fairfield in front of 366 fans at Lessing Field on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Stags are now 6-6 on the season and 3-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. Meanwhile Loyola remained unbeaten at 14-0-2 and sit in first place with a 6-0-conference record.
‘ ‘I think the team played well,’ said Fairfield head coach Carl Rees. ‘We have to learn attention to detail against team’s that are ranked seventh in the country. It is critical.’ I thought in terms of possession, we controlled it and created chances, but again this is the third rated team in RPI in the country, undefeated on the year. They will punish you for a lapse of concentration and that’s what happened on their second goal.’
Despite the loss, Rees said that the Stags will remain positive as they continue to try and fight for a playoff spot in the MAAC.
‘We are getting better. We’re understanding the importance of competing for the first minute, there are many positives to take from it,’ said Rees. ‘But we are not going to accept a loss on our home field, we’re not. That’s not acceptable. We have to work harder and learn from this.’
Fairfield did pick up one win on the weekend, defeating Rider 2-1 on goals scored by Tom Clements ’09 and Erik Ilisije ’11.
Up next for the Stags is a weekend trip to upstate New York where they will play Niagara (3-2 in MAAC) and Canisius (2-3).
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