Small's Goal Lifts Fairfield Into MAAC Title Match
MAAC Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – Junior forward Ashley Small worked free from the left side of the box and scored from about three yards out at the 67:49 mark to give Fairfield University a 1-0 victory over Siena College in the semifinal round of the 2013 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.
The victory propelled second-seeded Fairfield, now 12-6-2, into the title match against top-seed Monmouth, on Monday at noon. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
“I just saw an opportunity and went for it, and put it in the back of the net,” Small said. It was the 13th goal of the season, and seventh game winner, for Small, a first-team 2013 All-MAAC performer.
The victory snapped a six-game MAAC semifinal winless streak for Fairfield, which extended back to the 2005 Championship, when the Stags defeated Niagara in the final. In 2008, Fairfield and Siena played to a scoreless tie in the semifinals, but the Stags advanced to the championship by edging the Saints in penalty kicks, 5-4. Fairfield went on to defeat Loyola for the 2008 title.
Fairfield controlled possession through much of the match, and outshot the Saints 16-4. The Stags also had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. Siena goalkeeper Taylor Booth made four saves, while Fairfield goalkeeper Kathleen Early had one save.
Fairfield’s defense stiffened despite the loss Emma Pichl, the MAAC’s Defensive Player of the Year who went down with a season ending injury in the Stags’ quarterfinal match with Manhattan on Friday.
Siena concluded its season at 11-9-1.