Men’s Soccer
A costly error: Tucker Nathans sat on the ground stunned as the ball trickled past senior goalkeeper Justin Burse. The own goal proved to be the difference in Connecticut’s 1-0 victory over men’s soccer on Nov. 21 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
‘I look at it as a sin of commission rather than of omission,’ head coach Carl Rees said. ‘I’d rather him work defensively than do nothing at all. Anyone that knows Tucker knows that he is a warrior.’
‘I’m very proud of the way the lads represented the university,’ Rees added.
The players echoed Rees’ sentiments.
‘Some harsh, but true, stuff was said about us after seven games,’ senior defender Tom Clements said. ‘We needed to work harder and come together to get results.’
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Swimming and Diving
Raking in awards: As if back-to-back victories for both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams against Manhattan and Bryant were not enough, both teams swept the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) weekly awards.
Two freshman – Kekoa Taparra and Lauren Kennedy – were named MAAC Swimmers of the Week. Taparra paced the men’s team victories with strong times in the 50-meter freestyle and the 200-meter backstroke. Kennedy added her own contribution, as she claimed triple-winner status with dominant races against both Manhattan and Bryant this past week.
Conversely, juniors Taylor Stecko and Hillary Urbancic were named MAAC Divers of the Week for strong showings in both meets.
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Male Stag-lete of the Week:
ATHLETE: Taylor Stecko ’10
SPORT: Men’s Swimming and Diving
ACHIEVEMENT: Stecko, the MAAC’s Male Diver of the Week, tallied first place finishes against Bryant on both the one-meter board and the three-meter board.
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Female Stag-lete of the Week:
ATHLETE: Lauren Kennedy ’12
SPORT: Women’s Swimming and Diving
ACHIEVEMENT: Kennedy was a triple-winner against Manhattan and Bryant, claiming victories in the 200-meter individual medley, 200-meter breaststroke, and 200m medley relay.
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Game of the Week
Men’s Basketball vs. Iona
Sunday, Dec. 14
Despite the team’s pedestrian preseason ranking, Iona has looked every bit of the sleeper team that many predicted them to be. On Nov. 21, the Gaels pushed No. 22 Wisconsin to the brink and nearly pulled off a shocking upset. As if that is not enough, the Stags likely remember a 15-point loss to Iona in New Rochelle last January, a game that marked a low point for the team a season ago.
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‘He Said it…’
‘We’d lost to them two years in a row and each time someone had gotten hurt or elbowed in the face. So we came here ready’ – Junior forward Anthony Johnson to the Connecticut Post on Fairfield’s mindset in its recent win over Holy Cross.
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