FAIRFIELD,Conn. – A stunning upset in the MAAC Semifinals ended the Fairfield University Women’s Soccer team’s championship hopes Wednesday night, as the fourth-seeded Sacred Heart Pioneers defeated the top-seeded Stags 1-0. The loss marked Fairfield’s first home defeat in over two calendar years, snapping a 25-game unbeaten streak at Lessing Field.
Sacred heart’s Morgan Bovardi scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute,capitalizing on a cross from Shea Kelleher to finish in the bottom left corner. Despite a dominant second half performance that saw Fairfield outshoot the Pioneers 16-5, the Stags were unable to find the back of the net. Sacred Heart goalkeeper Kyran Thievon made six saves, including a diving stop on a shot from MAAC Golden Boot winner Maddy Theriault in the 82nd minute.
“Credit to Sacred Heart tonight, they delivered when they needed to,” Head Coach David Barrett said. “I thought we lost the game in the first half. I’m proud of the girls for their fight tonight. We didn’t play to our identity tonight and unfortunately picked the wrong night to do that. Soccer is tough sometimes but certainly proud for what we accomplished this season.”
Fairfield finished the regular season with a 15-4-2 overall record, including an unbeaten 10-0-2 mark in conference play – a feat achieved by only four teams in program history. The 15 wins tied for the second-most in Division I, and the team’s winning percentage ranked third nationally. The stags also earned a program-record 10 All-MAAC selections and four major award winners this season. Players contributing shots on goal included Payton Zaun, Ashlyn Walsh, Sam Kersey, and Ashley McMahon.
