Fairfield wrapped up their season in a heartbreaking overtime loss against Sacred Heart in the semifinal match-up of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship. This came after the Stags were able to tie the game up three times after falling behind. They ended up losing 4-3 in a hard-fought game that ended after a beautiful assist by graduate defender Axier Zebrio that was floated over the head of Fairfield’s first-year goalkeeper Evan Chomow and into the net by senior midfielder David Garcia Gallego.
The Stags wrapped up their season with an 8-5-5(5-1-4) record, the best since their 2018 season, excluding the 2020 shortened season.
Some of their key results on the year included their 2-1 victory to open the season against Army West Point. “Being down 1-0 then coming back to win 2-1 showed how much fight the team really had and it foreshadowed the season we had,” Senior midfielder William Pierce said.
Even though they fell short against 2nd-ranked Vermont 4-2, the Stags held a 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Conference play led to some key results with a 2-0 victory over Niagara to open up conference play after a brace by first-year forward Pipeloore Olanrewaju. Another key win was a 5-1 result against a ranked Marist team at the time.
The most important series of games was the three-game winning streak they had towards the end of the season against Manhattan, Quinnipiac, and Mount Saint Mary’s. The Stags concluded their eight-game regular-season point streak against Sacred Heart, which helped them earn a home playoff game in a tightly packed MAAC.
The Stags were an efficient team this year, working well with each other and having a significant amount of depth to their roster. This was especially present in their attack and midfield groups, which usually use two squads during a game.
These players typically consisted of first-year midfielders Sean Albritton, Pipeloore Olanrewaju and forward Alex Vaz. Aiding them were sophomore midfielder Illia Trykus and juniors forward Massimo Murania, midfielder Audun Engen Vik and senior midfielder Kaea Rangihaeata.
The depth of the Stags’ offense made it hard for teams to prepare for them, leading to chances for all players on the pitch. But there were two who stood out from the rest, with Albritton and Vaz leading the way with nine and five goals, with only 14 and 12 games played, respectively.
Something that can’t be measured in stats for this team was their camaraderie. “All the guys and coaching staff felt like there was something special in the air. Wasn’t necessarily something tangible,” junior midfielder Marques Nana-Sinkam said.Meanwhile, junior midfielder Cameron Gerber led the team in assists with nine in total. Gerber and junior defender Cole Dougherty were key pieces for the team this season. Dougherty was responsible for most of the throw-ins during the season and both players were crucial in moving the ball up and also getting back to play defense.
The back line was highlighted by some great players like senior defender Jordan Blunschi and first-year Jahmani Stapleton. Nana-Sinkam and Pierce were key pieces on the defensive side and critical to the movement of the ball up the field to the forwards.
One of the stronger points on this team was the goalkeepers this season in Chomow and graduate Viktor Nikolov. Firstly, Chomow ended the season with a 1.22 goals allowed average and a .806 save percentage, while also getting three clean sheets.
When Chomow went down with an injury during the season, Nikolov stepped up big time for the Stags with two clean sheets and a .90 GAA and a .727 save percentage in four games played.
One of the main benefits going into next season for Fairfield is the youth on this team. Fairfield’s ability to pick up transfers and key recruits has them looking like one of the best teams in the MAAC for years to come. “Their ability to really fit in and adapt so well to what the older guys had going on,” Nana-Sinkam said.
Although Fairfield has two seniors who have been mainstays for the team in Blunschi and Pierce, both players may be making a return next season; both have an extra year of eligibility left in their careers.
Fairfield also ended the season with multiple players taking home awards, with Vaz winning All-MAAC First Team honors. Albritton, Olanrewaju, and Chomow won All-MAAC Second Team awards. Finally, Pierce, Dougherty, and Blunschi won All-MAAC Third Team honors.