Box Score 

Experienced upperclassmen and talented freshmen prove to be the perfect combination for any head coach. Fairfield University coach Carl Rees showed that his roster has that perfect blend as proven by the Stags 2-1 win over 17th-ranked St. John's University in the championship game of the St. John's Nike Classic.

For the second time in as many games, senior Sam Bailey provided his teammates with the winning edge by scoring a goal late in the second half. The forward converted a pass from freshman Matthew Uy in the 77th minute by sending a shot that caught the inside of the lower right corner to push Fairfield in front by a 2-1 score.

The Stags jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half courtesy of rookie Todd Rutledge. The midfielder redirected a a cross from senior Steve Desmond with his head that caught the corner of the goal in the 18th minute. The Red Storm tied the game in the second half when Ryan Soroka chipped the ball past Jon Paul Francini at 56:19 to make the score 1-1.

The Red Storm applied pressure through most of the night, but most of their 13 shots never made to Francini. When he was tested, Francini made the save. He finished the evening with four saves, while St. John's goalkeeper Neal Kitson was not credited with any saves.

The Stags, who received votes in the NSCAA pre-season national poll, will return to action against Boston College. Fairfield will travel to Chestnut Hill to play its third straight road games, returning home for its season opener on September 14 against Yale University.