HABYAN PASSES HER WAY INTO HISTORY IN DRAW

October 15, 2015

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Fairfield rookie Holly Habyan tapped a pass to Anna Borea in the seventh minute, and Borea looped the ball over the keeper to give the Stags an early 1-0 lead. The Stags would surrender that lead 43 minutes later, and both teams would eventually fight to a 1-1 draw on a windy afternoon in the Capital Region. With her assist, Habyan became the first Fairfield rookie in program history to notch an assist in four-straight contests.

"We were focused on the win and although we are disappointed with a draw, we gained one point," Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. "It keeps us in the hunt."

Fairfield (4-8-3, 1-3-2) had their best shot to grab a result with under three minutes to play when Jenny Jacobs floated a ball to net, which the keeper knocked off the crossbar and fell directly on the goal line. The Stags were turned away on that opportunity, which was the last real chance the Stags had in the contest.

The Stags started off the game taking advantage of playing with the nearly 20 mph wind that was blowing on the field. In the seventh minute, Borea tapped a free kick to Habyan, who tapped the ball back and Borea used the wind to her advantage to notch her third goal of the season.

The Stags would continue to push the issue, attempting 10 shots compared to just four for the Saints (6-6-3, 2-4-1) in the first half. The Stags had all six shots on goal in the first 45 minutes.

That changed when Allison Clark deflected a shot near the net which would tie up the contest in the 50th minute. It was the first career goal for the senior.

Fairfield would take the next six shots of the second stanza, with Jacobs’ near goal the one that capped the barrage.

Once again, the Stags ran into hard luck , putting 11 shots on goal but the Siena keeper Liz Rogan made a career-high 10 saves. It is the third time this season that an opposing keeper has reached a career-high in saves against the Stags.

"We did test the Siena goalkeeper and more importantly improved defensively with a few changes in back and in midfield," Coach O'Brien said. "Our attack was always looking to go forward and get the winner but we were stopped by a solid goalkeeper, the post, and the crossbar in the game."

Borea’s goal was the third goal of the season for her, the first in live action. It also ties a career-high for the junior defender.

Habyan now leads the team with four assists, and became the first Stag rookie in program history to notch an assist in four-straight contests.

"We had very high expectations for Holly and she has risen to the occasion at a number of positions and was stellar as a right fullback today," O'Brien said. "Both Holly and Anna combined on a perfectly executed free kick to open the scoring of the game. Holly has made steady improvements and her production is well earned."

The Stags will try to get back on the winning track when they visit current league leader Monmouth on Saturday at 7pm.

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