Nov. 6, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Fairfield University soccer fans will not have far to travel to see the Stags return to the NCAA tournament. Head Coach Carl Rees and his lads will play at the University of Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, November 11 at 1 PM. The two teams help comprise the field of 48 teams that includes 22 automatic berths and 26 at-large bids. Fairfield received an automatic berth by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament championship, while UConn collected one of the at-large spots.
"It's about what we expected," Coach Rees said after the selection show. "I know the history of the program and Ray Reid is a great coach, so I am sure they will be ready to play on Saturday. We are looking forward to the opportunity of playing at a site that is close for our fans."
The Stags enter the NCAA tournament with a 14-5-1 record, just one win shy of the school record of 15 set during the 1998 campaign. The Stags were ranked as high as 15th this season, before falling out of the top 25 and receiving votes in the October 31 poll. UConn owns a 10-6-2 mark, posting a 5-5 mark at home, a 5-0-1 slate on the road, and an 0-1 record in neutral site games.
Fairfield has played UConn twice under Coach Rees, once during the regular season and another time in an exhibition game. The Stags battled the Huskies to a 3-3 tie during the 1996 campaign, and also posted a 0-0 draw in an exhibition game in Storrs. Fairfield has played four regular-season games against UConn, and owns an 0-3-1 mark in those contests. The Stags lost a game during the 1979, 1984, and 1993 campaigns.
Senior Alex Cunliffe, who was named the MAAC tournament most valuable player over the weekend, leads the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists for 20 points. Sam Bailey, an All-MAAC selection, six goals and four assists for 16 points, a total which includes five game-winning goals. Christian Uy is a close second in game-winning goals with four. Goalkeeper Jon Paul Francini has not allowed a goal in the last three games, and has posted six shutouts this year. He lowered his goals against average to 0.73 and raised his save percentage to .839 (78 saves).
UConn has received strong play from O'Brian White, who leads the team with seven goals and six assists for 20 points. Akeem Priestley is second among his teammates with four goals and five assists for 13 points. Goalkeeper Matt Sangeloty has played every minute of the season, posting a 1.12 goals against average with 55 saves.
The Stags make their first NCAA tournament appearance since the 1999 campaign when the program captured the MAAC title and advanced to the NCAA play-in round against the University of Illinois-Chicago. Fairfield traveled to the Windy City for the game, and came up short by a 1-0 count.
Tickets for the first round of the NCAA College Cup are available from the UConn ticket office by calling 877-AT-UCONN. All tickets are general admission and will be priced as follows: $8.00 for adults 18 and over and $5.00 for seniors, children and students.
