On the road and facing the fifth team in the nation while in the midst of a two-game losing streak, the Stags were faced with the improbable challenge of overcoming a 5-2 deficit with only one half to play.

The odds were against Fairfield, who looked to bounce back from losses to Penn State and Hobart.

Fairfield did not back down and battled until the end of the game, tying the game at seven with 7:55 left in the game, before losing 8-7.

Head Coach Ted Spencer said the team gained “a lot of respect for the program” based on their effort and determination.

The team maintained its 19th overall national ranking despite the loss.

“We felt we deserved to win the game. We had a couple of bad breaks, but sometimes that’s the way it goes,” said Spencer.

The story though, was the Stags’ comeback in the second half, which included five second-half goals and a tremendous defensive effort, limiting the Hoyas to 17 shots in the second half.

Offensively, the momentum began with a goal from senior Greg Downing on a pass from Chris Manley ’07 just 1:02 into the third quarter, giving the Stags, who were once trailing by three, newfound optimism.

From that point on, the Stag seniors took over.

Senior captain Mike Bocklet scored at 8:31 in the third, his third of the game, to tie the Hoyas at 5-5 and provided Fairfield with a wave of momentum.

Bocklet was rewarded for his strong offensive efforts by being named the NEILA New England Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year.

He leads the team with 20 goals and is third in the ECAC with 2.5 goals per game.

Bocklet, who also has 10 assists on the season, is second in the ECAC with 30 points.

Georgetown responded, as attackmen Brendan Cannon and Andrew Baird tallied back-to-back goals, putting the Hoyas back up by a margin of two, 7-5, heading into the fourth quarter.

Despite the two goal efforts for both men, the talented Hoya attack trio was limited on the day, thanks in part to tremendous defensive efforts by the Stags.

Specifically, junior captain Chris Atwell neutralized Cannon, the Hoyas biggest threat.

“Atwell shut down Brandon Cannon in 6-on-6,” said Spencer. “He did a fantastic job on one of the top attackmen in the country.”

That effort was further aided by the play of goalkeeper Mike Kruger, who finished the game with 13 saves on 21 shots on goal.

Kruger made several key saves to maintain the team’s momentum during its second half stride, a promising sign given the fact that the senior goalie had struggled in the previous two games.

“Kruger played phenomenally well,” said Spencer. “It’s a level we know he can play. We challenged him [before the game] and he really stepped up.”

Kruger’s three-save effort in the fourth quarter kept Fairfield in the game.

The team finally broke through at 12:50 in the fourth on a Dan Boudreau ’08 goal to make it 7-6.

Forty two seconds later, Downing tied the game at 7-7 on a feed from Chris Manley, his fourth assist of the game.

The next 10 minutes were a defensive stalemate, highlighted by Kruger’s play, with both teams battling desperately for a key ECAC victory.

With 1:45 remaining in regulation, Georgetown midfielder Scott Kocis nailed a bounce shot to put Georgetown on top for good.

For Fairfield, though, there is no rest for the weary.

North Carolina, 7-4 on the year and ranked 10th by the USILA, comes to town for a important match-up on campus Saturday at Lessing Field.

Having been on the road for the past three weeks against premier competition, the Stags are happy to come home.

“We think we can rebound in a big way [against North Carolina],” said defensive midfielder Tim Gazzini ’07. “We don’t feel that we’re struggling at all.”

In addition, playing in front of hostile crowds has the team hoping for an intimidating crowd of its own, this time on their side.

“The kids are dying for a home game. I’m hoping that our fans are the X-Factor in this game. We really need the Red Sea,” said Spencer.

Aside from the support, Fairfield is hoping that a game in the team’s backyard finally delivers an all elusive sixth victory.

The Stags still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament but will need victories against either North Carolina or Loyola Maryland to earn that spot.

The Stags will also need to defeat UMass and St. John’s to close out the season.