The Stags took on Wagner College in the Northeast Conference Championship on November 9th emerging victorious with a score of 2-1. Wagner outshot the Stags 12-6 and had eight shots on goal to the Stags five but a strong performance from Stag goalie Payton Rahn ‘25 led to the Stags eventual victory.
The Stag goals came from Alice Pifferi ‘26 in the 20th minute on a penalty stroke and from Rylee LaLoup ‘26 in the third quarter to break the tie and take the 2-1 lead.
“This was a gritty win today,” Head Coach Jackie Kane said in the game’s official recap. “We took chances today when opportunities were presented and we finished those chances. Defensively, Payton came up with some big saves. There really wasn’t one person to single out defensively because the back three were always composed and cleared the ball when we needed it. I’m really happy for this team because every single person contributed to this win.”
After their conference championship the Stags earned a spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament where they drew Delaware in the first round.
The tournament took place at the home of the first-seeded Tar Heels, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Delaware matched the Stags record of 12-9 coming into the game and won the Colonial Athletic Association championship. These two teams met on November 3rd which saw the Blue Hens win 2-0 off of two fourth-quarter goals with the teams neck and neck in almost every statistical category.
However, this matchup told a different story with the Stags taking a 1-0 lead into halftime off an Erin McGinley ‘25 goal in the 20th minute. The goal came off a penalty corner and after some passes Noor Hellemeans ‘27 sent one to McGinley at the far post who put it in off a deflection.
The Stags then locked down on defense for the third and most of the fourth quarters where they kept the Blue Hens scoreless until a late push at the end of the game. The Blue Hens got a number of opportunities in the final seconds of the game.
The Stag defense saw a flurry of shots in the closing seconds and Delaware snuck one by Rahn to tie the game with just 14 seconds left in the game.
The late goal took the game to overtime where the Stags continued their strong defensive performance, however they were not able to convert offensively which led to a second overtime. The second overtime started similarly to the first, but the Blue Hens managed to score the game winner in the 73rd minute of the game to take the win and advance to play North Carolina in the second round of the tournament.
Senior Augustina Casteluchi stated that “I think we played really well. Defensively we did everything we could, corner after corner but luck was not on our side today. I think we played incredible field hockey and we showed it out there. When Fairfield field hockey comes to the NCAA tournament, we aren’t happy to just be here but we show up to play. I am grateful for Fairfield and my teammate and the opportunity to play here.”
This game marked the end of Coach Kane’s 30th and final season with the Stags. She announced her retirement at the beginning of the season. She has been with the Stags as the head coach since 1995 and played for the Stags from 1983-1986. She led the Stags to more than 200 wins including undefeated NEC campaigns in 2019, 2021, 2023. She also led Stag teams to the NCAA tournament in 2019, 2021 and this season with Fairfield’s first and only NCAA Tournament win over a nationally ranked American. She has won NEC coach of the year in 2019 and 2021. Kane also has won more games than any other Fairfield field hockey coach and has led the Stags as they have moved through four different conferences and won 10 post season conference tournament appearances.
After the loss to Delaware she stated that, “I don’t think I have been able to process all the emotions yet because this is my last game. But I am proud of this team and of our seniors. Fairfield will be back here and that’s our legacy, the seniors and I. We just don’t win our conference and are happy to be in the NCAAs. We come and we mean business and that was evident today. This season was the last one, the best one.”
Leave a Reply