With Sacred Heart’s loss to Quinnipiac earlier in the day, Marist needed to defeat No. 1 Fairfield in order to clinch their first playoff berth since 2021. The Red Foxes kept the score close at 4-3 early on but were outscored 13-4 throughout the rest of the contest, leading to the end of their season.
Fairfield outscored Marist 5-0 in the second quarter en route to their victory. Junior attacker Kelly Haggerty and graduate attacker Kyleigh Tufano notched hat tricks. Sophomore attacker Tessa Caputo accounted for nine points, eight assists, and one goal. Her eight assists broke both the program’s single-game and single-season assist records (43).
The Red Foxes remained within striking distance through the first quarter, down by just one, but their 16 turnovers and Fairfield holding the draw control advantage, 13-7, led to their elimination.
In the high-stakes contest, the Red Foxes jumped on the scoreboard early with sophomore midfielder Amelia Pirozzi’s 32nd goal of the season. The Stags wasted no time taking the lead back from Marist. Senior attacker Mary Henry and Haggerty both converted on scores assisted by Caputo.
Fairfield continued to score seamlessly, and Tufano helped extend the advantage to 3-1. Marist got back in rhythm with strong ball movement, leading to junior attacker Kathryn Staker scoring on a bounce shot. Haggerty then sprinted past five Red Fox defenders, switching to her left hand to give the Stags a three-goal lead.
The Red Foxes, however, kept the wheels turning. Senior attacker Jesse Manger delivered a pass to senior midfielder Caitlin McNaboe, cutting the deficit down to one. To start the second quarter, sophomore attacker Charlotte Loughlin tiptoed around the crease to notch her 20th goal of the season. She became the sixth player to score at least 20 goals this season for the Stags.
Graduate midfielder Katie Bergen kept the momentum going, giving the Stags a 6-3 advantage. Graduate goalkeeper Whitney Robinson took care of the back of the net with two straight saves on Marist free-position shots. Caputo continued to pull the strings, grabbing her first goal in addition to her four assists.
Henry and Haggerty each added a goal as Fairfield closed the half with a 9-3 lead. The Stags outscored Marist 5-0 in the second quarter.
To begin the third, Tufano and junior midfielder Madison Leale traded goals. The Stags added to their lead with Tufano’s second career hat trick, and Manger got out in transition to score on a one-on-one opportunity with Robinson.
Pirozzi tried to ignite the Red Fox comeback, cutting the advantage to 11-6 as the third quarter came to a close, but the Stags never let Marist climb back. They went on a 6-1 run to put the Red Foxes away. Fairfield’s goal from Haggerty, assisted by Caputo, broke both aforementioned records.
Though Fairfield ended Marist’s season, the Red Foxes won their most conference games since 2019.
Edited by Mike Duda
Photo and Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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