Field Hockey

Head Coach Jackie Kane remains the cornerstone of the Fairfield University field hockey program, as she begins her 17th year with the program. She played four seasons with the Stags from 1982-86, and spent the last 12 campaigns as the team's head coach. She has won more games than any other coach, entering the 2007 season with 92 victories.  In 2004, Kane guided the Stags to the Northeast Conference championship game in their first season of competition, successfully making the transition from the Patriot League.

Under her tutelege, Fairfield captured a regular-season (1998) title and a tournament championship (2001) in the Patriot League. Fairfield made its only NCAA appearance in program history in 2001, taking on the University of Maryland in first-round play.

Kane has led the team to a post-season conference tournament in five of the last seven years, including four straight Patriot League appearances from 1998 to 2001. She capped the 1998 season by earning Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. She recently graduated from the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy.

The team's winning ways are even more impressive considering Kane's desire for a national-caliber schedule, which has included ranked teams such as William & Mary, Boston University, Iowa, Northeastern , and UConn.

In addition to the team's athletic accomplishments, Kane's players have excelled in the classroom. Nearly 30 Stags have earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Team honors, and more than 50 have garnered Conference All-Academic accolades. In 2006-07, the field hockey team had the highest team GPA at Fairfield University. Ten players have been selected to the Mideast Regional All-America team, and five players have participated in the NFHCA All-Star Game.

Her coaching career began at her high school alma mater - Mount St Joseph Academy in Flourtown, Pa. In her first three years, Kane led the Chiefs to two championship games and posted a 38-7-5 overall record.

She earned a master's degree in education from St. Joseph's University, and works in the Office of Programs for Student-Athletes as an instructor and tutor at Fairfield University.

Kane has three children - Jack (9), Mimi (8), and Tommy (6).

Lauren Thomas begins her fourth season as an assistant at her alma mater, having graduated in 2004. Thomas is a United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) Futures coach.

 Thomas finished her career among the program's top goaltenders with 76 games played (2nd), 28 wins (2nd), 554 saves (2nd), a 2.28 goals against average (3rd) and nine shutouts (3rd).  She was among the nation's leaders for both save percentage and saves as a junior and senior.

Thomas earned the 2003-04 female athlete of the year award at Fairfield, and received two All-Patriot League awards. She was a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Thomas also earned a spot on the NFHCA All-America squad as a senior. 
 

Kara Zappone begins her first season with Fairfield after spending the last four years as a member of the University of Iowa field hockey team.

 She was the team's captain last season, and led the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament. In 2004, Iowa won the Big Ten regular season title and advanced to the NCAA tourney.  

 She captured Iowa's practice player of the year in 2005. Zappone was the Hawkeyes' nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and captured the award in 2007. In the classroom, Zappone earned a spot on the Academic Dean's List in 2006. 
 

Aislinn Richards joins the Fairfield staff after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's University. Her primary charge at Saint Joseph's was working with the team's defensive unit, which consistently ranked as one of the conference's best.

 She played four seasons at Drexel University where she developed into one of the program's top defensive midfielders. Richards earned the team's most valuable player award as a freshman She received a spot on the America East academic honor roll as a junior and as a senior.