Oct. 31, 2006
And then there was four! The Fairfield University women's soccer team earned the number three-seed at the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship that the Stags are hosting on Lessing Field, Friday, November 3 and Sunday November 5.
The defending tournament champions, the Stags posted a 9-6-4 overall mark during the year, and posted a 5-2-2 conference record. The Stags semifinal opponent will be the second-seed, Niagara, at 7 p.m. on Friday. Regular season champion Loyola, will take on Siena, the four-seed in the first semifinal, at 4 p.m. The championship game will feature the two semifinal winners, and will be played on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., live on ESPNU.
Fairfield is 1-2 against team's in the tournament this year, which shouldn't phase the Stags. On their way to winning the 2005 crown, the Stags revenged regular season losses to #4 Iona, #1 Loyola and #2 Niagara, becoming the first five-seed to earn the title.
Niagara was the Stags foe in the 2005 Title Game, which Fairfield won 2-1. The semifinal is a matchup of the regular season finale that the Purple Eagles won on Lessing Field, 1-0, on Sunday. Brett Maron played the final 70 minutes of that game in goal for the Stags, and was nothing less then brilliant, making nine saves, many of them leaping and diving.
Rookie Casey Frobey leads Fairfield offensively. She has netted 12 goals on the year, which is third in the MAAC, and is the third best single-season effort in program history. She has totaled 26 points, which is also on the top-10 for a single-season at Fairfield.
Alex Caram and Ahna Johnson, the team's top scorers a year ago, are also having solid seasons. Caram, the MVP of the 2005 MAAC Tournament, is the Stags leader with six assists. Along with her five goals, she is second on the team with 16 points. Johnson has had another solid effort, netting four goals and four assists, to sit third on the team with 12 points.
The Stags other potent offensive threat is senior Laura Mrowka. She has netted five goals on the year, and has one assist, for 11 points. She netted two goals in the Stags win over Canisius, and has two game-winners to her credit.
Junior Janna Breitenwischer is a player who has benefited the Stags on the attack and in the back as well. She has played back and midfielder this year, starting the 18 games she has played. With a goal and an assist, she helps the offense flow when she is in the middle, and helps backstop the Stags, when in the back.
Rookie Chrissie Sidie has been a threat to put points on the board as well, seeing action in every game, with eight starts. She has two goals and four assists on the year for the Stags, for eight points, fifth on the team. Junior Amanda Vargo has played in 19 games this year as well, with six starts. She has netted a goal and two assists on the year.
The Stags defense is tops in the MAAC entering this week's games, allowing just 0.89 goals per game, and boasting an impressive GAA of only 0.85. No other team in the MAAC allows less then 1.06 goals an outing. A major part of that defensive strength is senior Betsy Nyman and junior MT Church. Nyman, should she start on Friday as expected, will become the Stags all-time leader in career starts, making her 78th. Church has played all 19 games in the regular season, starting them all. She has also netted a pair of goals, one game-winner, and has an assist.
Also in the mix in the back is a talented group of younger players, who have all contributed this season. Sophomore Caroline Downey has played in 16 games, including 11 starts down the stretch. Rookies Adrienne Boyer and Whitney Gorovitz have both played a key role this season. Boyer has played in every game, with 12 starts, while Gorovitz has seen action in 18 games, with seven starts.
Each game of the MAAC Championship will have Gametracker available. Visit www.FairfieldStags.com or www.maacsports.com, for tournament information.
