Aug. 2, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University men's soccer team earned the top spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) annual pre-season coaches poll, securing edging Loyola College for first place by eight points. Four Fairfield University student-athletes captured Pre-Season All-MAAC honors, all of whom picked up All-MAAC accolades last Fall.
Fairfield collected 95 points, followed by Loyola (87 points), Marist College (74 points), and Saint Peter's College (58 points). The rest of the poll filled out with Niagara University (56 points), Iona College (50 points), Rider University (36 points), Canisius College (34 points), Siena College (32 points), and Manhattan College (28 points).
Senior Mike Troy (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and Tom Skara (Greenwich, Conn.) were named to the pre-season team as defenders, while junior Sam Bailey (Cheshire, England) and sophomore Kerr McLeod (Saskatoon, Seskatchewan) secured spots as midfielders.
Both Troy and Skara will anchor the defense in 2006, after helping the Stags become one of the top defenses in the nation last season. As a unit, the Stags defense allowed just 12 goals in 20 games and yielded more than one goal in a game just two times a year ago. Fairfield ended the 2005 campaign ranked fifth in Division I for Goals Against Average with 0.58 goals per game. The University of Akron led the nation with a 0.50 goals against average.
Bailey comes back to campus as the team's top returning scorer, netting 19 points in 20 games. The junior tallied seven goals and five assists, his best season in a Stags uniform. Bailey was also second among his teammates with three game-winning goals in 2005.
McLeod enjoyed an outstanding freshman season with one goal and three assists for five points. His strong play in the midfield area was instrumental in the team's successful season. McLeod capped his first season by earning the MAAC Rookie of the Year award, All-MAAC, and MAAC All-Rookie laurels.
The soccer team, under head coach Carl Rees, captured the 2005 MAAC regular season championship with an 8-0-1 conference record, finished the campaign with a 13-4-3 record, and ranked among the nation's top 25 throughout the year. The Stags open their 2006 season by participating in the West Virginia University tournament on August 25 and 27. The Stags open the tournament by playing the host school on Friday night, and then play Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
