Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- There were a lot of firsts being through around University Field on Saturday afternoon, starting with the field hockey team posting its first win of the 2008 campaign after a 3-0 decision over The College of the Holy Cross.

The list of firsts continued with Jennifer Utz, a sophomore goalkeeper who tallied her first career shutout with six saves. Plus, you can add in Anne Nieuwenhuis scoring her first game-winning goal and Marit Westenberg adding her first collegiate goal and one can see that this was a good day for the Stags.

Fairfield opened the scoring 13 minutes into the game, just after the team was awarded a penalty corner. Amy Hosking started the play with a direct pass to Nieuwenhuis, who stopped the ball and sent a shot past Holy Cross goalkeeper Erin Singleton for a 1-0 lead. While it was the only goal of the half, Fairfield had ample opportunities as it outshot the visiting team by a 9-3 margin.

The Stags did not quite equal that shot total in the second half with eight attempts, but they were more efficient with a pair of goals. The first goal of the second half was set up by Taylor Callahan. The freshman stepped into the passing lane to intercept an attempted clearing pass. She sent the ball to the right side of the circle to Westenberg, who lifted a shot that caught the upper right corner of the goal.

The game's final goal came with one second remaining in the game, a play which was started with a penalty corner with 10 seconds on the clock. Melanie Leo started the play with Nieuwenhuis securing the ball in the middle of the circle. She sent a pass to Molly Byrnes who finished the play with a shot that caught the upper right hand side of the goal.

Fairfield finished the game with 17 shots, one more than yesterday's total of 16 against Virginia Commonwealth, and enjoyed a 7-4 advantage on penalty corners.