After the men’s soccer team’s tough loss to Loyola College on Friday night, freshman forward Paul McQuade said, “we’ll put this loss behind us and move on to Rider.”
The Fairfield Stags’ did just that, moving on to Rider and past them with a 1-0 win Sunday afternoon at Lessing Field. Christian Uy `10 scored his fifth goal of the season ten minutes into the first half to give the Stags’ a lead which they would not lose. Sam Bailey `08 brought the ball down the left side of field and cut towards the goal, sending a cross to the far right post, where Alex Cunliffe `07 put his head on the ball to send it back to the center of the net. Uy was right there, to jump up and kick the ball into the back of the net. Cunliffe’s assist was his third on the season and was his team high 16th point of the year. Bailey added his fourth assist and tenth point of the year.
Uy had other chances to score, putting three shots on goal, as he continuously used his speed to get past the Rider defense. With twenty minutes left in the first half, Uy ran past the defense, but his shot was saved by the Rider goalie. Uy later brought the ball down towards the goal and sent a pass over to Mike Lentine `09, who put a shot on goal, which was also saved by Rider.
The Stags’ outshot Rider 13-10, but Rider had a slight edge in the second half, putting 6 shots on goal to Fairfield’s 4.
Fairfield was able to lock down on defense following the first goal from Uy, playing a more passive game, and not allowing Rider to score a game tying goal.
Head coach Carl Rees felt that the Stags’ did a good job recovering from the disappointing loss, which drained the team both mentally and physically.
“We were collectively looking forward to reacting to the disappointing loss,” said Rees, “The game Friday was both mentally and physically draining, and the team did what was necessary to win today.”
“It was a business like game.” he added.
Fairfield goaltender Jon-Paul Francini `08 made five saves on the day for his third shutout of the season, lowering his goals against average to 0.85, which is the lowest in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Francini was forced to step up on many occasions in the second half and did just that.
Rider’s Tim Jones had a chance with 27 minutes left in the second half, but a diving stop by Francini kept the ball out of the net. Later, with 23 minutes left, Rider brought the ball down on the Stags’ defense and had a three on two break, but another diving save by Francini kept Rider scoreless. Finally with seven minutes left, Rider’s A.J. Parillo sent the ball to Adam Bailey, who took a shot, but a sliding save by Francini again kept Rider off the board.
“We grinded out another win against a MAAC team,” said Cunliffe, “We played well, but can definitely still play better than we did today. We are pleased with the result after Friday.”
The game was the final home game of the season and the last time that the Class of 2007, Mike Troy, Cunliffe, Mike Calabrese, Jimmy Gaughan, and Robbie Gallina, would play a regular season game at Lessing Field. The Stags’ seniors will return to the home pitch in two weeks, for the MAAC playoffs.
“It felt good to win our final game at Lessing Field,” said Troy, “The fans have been great all year and this was a big win for us.”
The Stags’ win moves them to 6-1 in the MAAC and 11-4-1 overall. The Loyola Greyhounds 3-0 loss to Iona on Sunday moves the Stags’ back into first place in the MAAC with 18 points. The Greyhounds loss moves them to third place with 15 points, as Niagara University defeated Siena 3-1 to move into second, just one point behind Fairfield with 17 points. Niagara and Fairfield meet up in an important match-up next Sunday at Niagara.
The Stags’ final two games of the regular season come next weekend at Niagara and against Canisius on Friday.
“We need to approach the final stretch with a professional manner,” said Rees, “In our diet, social behavior, and physical preparation. We need to overcome the injuries we have right now and make a final push down the stretch.”
“It is going to be a team effort, with the players, the coaches, Mark Spellman the strength and conditioning coach, and our athletic trainer Scott Atkin all playing important roles. We need to be physically and mentally ready to focus on the final games and then the playoffs.”
“All of the guys are on board,” Rees added.
The Stags’ return to Fairfield in two weeks for the MAAC playoffs at Lessing Field.
Remaining Schedule:
Friday 10/27/06 vs. Canisius at Buffalo, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Sunday 10/29/06 vs. Niagara at Buffalo, N.Y. 1:00 PM
Leave a Reply