Nov. 2, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Ok, when it happened once, no big deal. When it happened twice, that's a coincidence. When it happened a third time, well they say that's a charm. When it happened a fourth time, eyebrows raised and heads turned. But when Sam Bailey scored his fifth goal of the season which turned out to be his fifth game-winning goal of the year, now that's just special.
Head Coach Carl Rees would agree that Sam Bailey is a special type of player, especially when he added a second goal in the Fairfield University men's soccer team win over Loyola College in the semi-final round of the 2006 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament.
"Sam gave us a great effort tonight," Rees said after the game. "He does so much for us offensively, but also gives great effort defensively. He played a solid game for us tonight."
Bailey certainly made his presence known on the offensive end of the pitch tonight, beginning with his first goal in the 42nd minute. The scoring chance started with a solid run into the box by Aldo Hope, who cut down the right side of the box. He sent a pass over to the far post where Bailey collected the ball and released a shot that beat Loyola goalkeeper Justin Chelland to the right post for a 1-0 lead.
In the closing minute of the first half, the Stags surprised the Greyhound defense by applying pressure off a defensive counter. Several Fairfield players made runs through the box, which sent the Loyola defense scrambling. In the confusion, a Fairfield player sent the ball into the box, which deflected off a Loyola defender past Chelland and into the back of the net. The result was a 2-0 Stags lead with 40 seconds remaining in the half.
Fairfield's defense, which entered the game as the MAAC's top unit with 0.89 goals allowed per game, showed everyone why it holds that impressive spot in the conference statistics. Loyola applied some pressure that resulted in five shots in the second half, but Fairfield goalkepper J.P. Francini was in position to make the save each time.
Bailey posted his second goal of the game in the 77th minute when Alex Cunliffe crossed the ball over to the center of the box where Bailey pushed a shot past Chelland for his second goal of the night, and essentially ending any comeback hopes for the Greyhounds.
With the win, Fairfield will face Saint Peter's College in the MAAC tournament championship game on Sunday, November 5 at 11 am. The game will be played at Lessing Field and will be broadcasted live on ESPNU. The third-seeded Peacocks advanced to the title contest with a 3-0 win over second-seeded Niagara University.
