Fairfield Stags | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | 1964 | ||
University | Fairfield University | ||
Head coach | Krystian Witkowsk (1st season) | ||
Conference | MAAC | ||
Location | Fairfield, Connecticut | ||
Stadium | Lessing Field (Capacity: 600) | ||
Nickname | Stags | ||
Colors | Red [1] | ||
| |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1999, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017 | |||
Conference Tournament championships | |||
1999, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017 | |||
Conference Regular Season championships | |||
1998, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2017 |
The Fairfield Stags men's soccer team represents Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut and competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games at Lessing Field on the campus of Fairfield University. The team was ranked nationally in 1998 (24th), 2000 (15th), 2001 (12th), 2005 (24th), 2006 (15th) 2007 (17th) and 2011 (25th) and competed in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament in 1999, 2006, 2008, and 2011. The 2006 team advanced to the second round in the NCAA Tournament after defeating in-state rival University of Connecticut, 2–1. The team also won the MAAC Championship Tournament in 1999, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2017. Individually, ten players have earned Regional All-American honors including Mark Longwell '82 who was the first Stag to go on to play for the United States men's national soccer team and major professional soccer for the NASL Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Stags are currently coached by 1998 New England Coach of the Year Carl Rees.
This section reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage .(November 2014) |
The Fairfield Stags men's soccer program first began in 1964. Fairfield University Athletic Hall of Famer James Kuhlmann was the founding coach who dedicated himself to the university and the development of the program over the next 24 years. Coach Kuhlmann's dedication and efforts culminated in the Stags becoming a routine MAAC contender in the 1980s with standout players Mark Longwell '82, who went on to play for the United States men's national soccer team and the NASL Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Alberto Zappala '82 leading the way. [2]
With Head Coach Carl Rees manning the helm over the past decade the Stags have been ranked among the nation's elite programs having produced seven NSCAA Regional All-Americans and achieved seven winning seasons, including double-digit win totals in five of the last 10 campaigns. In 1998, the Stags posted a program-high 15 wins, and earned a No. 24 national ranking, the first-ever top 25 poll appearance by any Fairfield University team. In 1999, the Stags won its first MAAC tournament title and the program's first NCAA play-in berth. In 2000, the Stags earned a No. 15 national ranking. In 2001, the Stags placed in the national rankings all but two weeks, hitting a program-high of number 12. In 2005, the Stags posted an unbeaten conference record (8-0-1) for the first time in school history and captured the MAAC regular-season championship. The Stags also garnered a national ranking in the 2005 polls, thanks in part to an unbeaten mark during the month of October (8-0-1).
In 2006 the Stags became the first Fairfield team in any sport to advance past the first round of an NCAA Tournament, as they defeated UConn 2–1 in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship in Storrs, CT. After winning the MAAC regular season and post season championship, the Stags, led by seniors Alex Cunliffe and Mike Troy, as well as juniors Tom Skara, J.P. Francini and Sam Bailey, entered the UConn game as the underdog. A goal by senior Jimmy Gaughan broke a 1–1 tie and solid goaltending from Francini kept the lead for Fairfield who upset the Huskies. The Stags lost to Towson in the second round, but will be remembered as one of the best athletic teams in school history.
Years | Name | Record | Postseason |
---|---|---|---|
1964–1987 | James Kuhlmann | – | |
1988–1995 | Dejan Cokic | – | |
1996– | Carl Rees | 115-68-28 | 1999 NCAA, 2006 NCAA, 2008 NCAA |
Total | 126-74-30 | – |
Regional All-American
Regional Coach of the YearLeague Coach of the YearLeague Player of the Year
| First Team All-League
|
Career leaders | Single-season leaders
|
Player | Year | Team/s |
---|---|---|
Vasilis Androutsos | 2005 | Montreal Impact |
Adam Braz | 2001 | Canadian National Team, Toronto FC |
Rob DeFaveri | 2002 | Montreal Impact |
James Hunt | 2004 | Long Island Rough Riders |
Justin Thompson | 2003 | Portland Timbers, Worcester City, Virginia Beach Mariners, Toronto Lynx |
Bryan Harkin | 2002 | Crystal Palace FC USA |
Lee Williams | 1999 | Toronto Lynx |
Jim McElderry | 1993 | New York Fever, Long Island Rough Riders |
Mark Longwell | 1982 | United States National Team, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Ft. Lauderdale Suns |
Thomas Skara | 2010 | Melbourne Knights |
Matt Turner | 2015 | Richmond Kickers, New England Revolution, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest |
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 graduate students, including full-time and part-time students. It offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees through its five schools and colleges.
Total Mortgage Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is the home venue of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). Managed by the Oak View Group, the arena was built alongside the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and opened on October 10, 2001. Webster Bank entered into a 10-year $3.5 million agreement on January 6, 2011 with the City of Bridgeport for the arena naming rights. When this agreement ended, the City entered into a new one on March 8, 2022, that granted the naming rights to Total Mortgage of Milford, Connecticut.
The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and classified as Division I (non-football) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represents Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut and competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games in the 3,500 seat Leo D. Mahoney Arena on campus. The team is currently coached by Chris Casey, his second year at the helm.
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Lessing Field is a multi-purpose lacrosse and soccer stadium on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is home to the Fairfield Stags men's and women's lacrosse and soccer teams. Previously named Varsity Field it was renovated in 2002 including the installation of high-durability sod, a new irrigation and drainage systems, new lights for night games and new stands with capacity for 600 fans. Lessing Field is named in honor of Stephen Lessing '76, a former member of the Fairfield Stags men's tennis team and current member of the Fairfield University Board of Trustees whose generosity allowed for the stadium renovations.
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Carl Rees is an English football manager who spent most of his managerial career managing the men's soccer program at Fairfield University, where he managed the team from 1996 until 2023.
Tim O'Toole is an American college basketball coach, currently the associate head coach at Pittsburgh. He was previously the tenth head coach of the Fairfield Stags men's basketball team. He also worked in the media as an ESPN college basketball analyst and was the color analyst for St. John's University's radio broadcasts with John Minko.
Jim McElderry is an American soccer coach who currently coaches the men's soccer program at Rutgers University.
The Fairfield Stags baseball team is the college baseball team representing Fairfield University located in Fairfield, Connecticut. Fairfield competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) of NCAA Division I and plays their home games at the Alumni Baseball Diamond on the campus of Fairfield University. The Stags were MAAC Champions in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 2016. Fairfield is currently coached by 3 time America East Coach of the Year and 2 time MAAC Coach of the Year Bill Currier.
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The 2019–20 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by first-year head coach Jay Young, played their home games at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Connecticut as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). They finished the season 12–20, 8–12 in MAAC play, to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the MAAC tournament to Manhattan.
The 2020–21 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by second-year head coach Jay Young, played their home games at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Connecticut as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10–17, 7–11 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MAAC tournament, they defeated No. 10 seed Manhattan in the first round, upset No. 2 seed Monmouth in the quarterfinals, upset No. 3 seed Saint Peter's in the semifinals to reach the championship game, where they lost to No. 9 seed Iona 51–60.
The 2021–22 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by third-year head coach Jay Young, played their home games at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The 1996–97 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by sixth-year head coach Paul Cormier, played their home games at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Connecticut as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 11–19, 2–12 in MAAC play to finish in eighth place. In the MAAC tournament, they went on a surprising run to the title by defeating Iona, Saint Peter's, and Canisius to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 16 seed in the East region. In the opening round, the Stags were beaten by No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant North Carolina in a competitive game, 82–74.
Lou Lopez Sénéchal is a Mexican-French professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Hozono Global Jairis of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. She played her collegiate basketball for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference. She previously played for the Fairfield Stags and was named MAAC Player of the Year as a senior. She was selected 5th overall in the 2023 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.