Fairfield Stags men's soccer
| Fairfield Stags | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Fairfield, Connecticut | |||
| Stadium | Lessing Field (Capacity: 600) | ||
| Nickname | Stags | ||
| Colors | Red[1] | ||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
| 1999, 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
Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Stags are currently coached by 1998 New England Coach of the Year Carl Rees
.
History
 | This section reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (November 2014) |
Dawn of the Stags
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
Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Alberto Zappala '82 leading the way.[2]
Red Stags Rising
With Head Coach
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).
2006 season
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.
All-time head coaches
| Years | Head Coach | Record | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964–1987 | James Kuhlmann | – | |
| 1988–1995 | Dejan Cokic | – | |
| 1996– | Carl Rees | 115-68-28 | 2008 NCAA
|
| – | Total | 126-74-30 | – |
Awards
Regional All-American
Regional Coach of the Year
League Coach of the YearLeague Player of the Year
|
First Team All-League
|
All-Time statistic leaders
Career leaders
|
Single-season leaders
|
Stags in the pros
| Player | Year | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | Tampa Bay Rowdies , Ft. Lauderdale Suns
|
| Thomas Skara | 2010 | Melbourne Knights
|
| Matt Turner | 2015 | Nottingham Forest
|
References
- ^ Fairfield University Visual Standard Manual (PDF). July 1, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- ^ Fairfield University :: 1995 Hall of Fame Inductees