Fairfield women’s soccer was defeated by Sacred Heart University in the semi-final of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship last Thursday at Lessing Field.
A late strike from senior Morgan Bovardi in the 85th minute secured the win for the Pioneers and a spot in the MAAC finals with a 1-0 victory over the Stags.
SHU went on to claim its first-ever MAAC championship after a goalless draw in the final concluded in a penalty shootout, with junior goalkeeper Kyran Thievon making three saves to lead SHU to victory and seal the historic win for the program.
“We knew we just needed to get it into the back of the net,” Bovardi said in a post-game interview with The Mirror. “Whatever way, it didn’t matter. Just get it in. 5 minutes left – had to put it in, that’s all.”
Coming in as the fourth seed against Fairfield, the tournament’s top seed, SHU knew they would have to pull off an upset, especially after suffering a 4-1 defeat to the Stags in the regular season.
The Stags outshot the Pioneers 25-12, including a 16-5 advantage in the second half, but were unable to convert their chances. MAAC Golden Boot winner Maddy Theriault ‘26 produced Fairfield’s best scoring opportunity, forcing a low diving save from Thievon in the 82nd minute.
“Credit to Sacred Heart tonight, they delivered when they needed to,” Head Coach David Barrett commented. “I thought we lost the game in the first half. We didn’t play to our identity tonight and unfortunately picked the wrong night to do that. Soccer is tough sometimes, but certainly proud of what we accomplished this season.”
The Stags ended the season with a 15-2-2 overall record and an unbeaten 10-0-2 record in conference. Fairfield’s fifteen wins placed it third in Division I in winning percentage. The loss to SHU marked the end of their home unbeaten streak, which had built up to 25 games, and was tied for the third-longest in the country.
Whilst Fairfield had hoped to defend its MAAC championship title and progress in the NCAA national championship, their successes and accolades still gave fans plenty to cheer about.
Securing ten All-MAAC honors, earning a national ranking for the first time in program history, and maintaining a 25-game unbeaten run on Lessing Field are all milestones worth celebrating and reinforce a strong foundation to build upon for the 2026 season.