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The Fairfield Stags are the 44th team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the fifth team from the CAA. The Stags were a dark horse pick to win the CAA, but finished 5-9 and failed to qualify for the CAA Tournament.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Fairfield’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/10 | Vermont | Fairfield | First meeting since 2012 (14-7 W) | |
| 2/17 | Fairfield | St. Joe's | First meeting since 1999 (17-9 W) | |
| 2/24 | Fairfield | Rutgers | 8-3 L | |
| 2/27 | Hartford | Fairfield | First meeting since 2011 (10-9 W) | |
| 3/3 | Stony Brook | Fairfield | 9-6 L | |
| 3/6 | Quinnipiac | Fairfield | First meeting since 2016 (13-7 W) | |
| 3/10 | Yale | Fairfield | 11-10 L/2OT | |
| 3/17 | Penn State | Fairfield | 9-8 L | |
| 3/20 | NJIT | Fairfield | 13-6 W | |
| 3/24 | Fairfield | Villanova | 18-9 L | |
| 3/31 | Fairfield | Delaware | CAA | 11-7 W |
| 4/7 | Fairfield | Hofstra | CAA | 10-6 L |
| 4/14 | Drexel | Fairfield | CAA | 13-12 L |
| 4/21 | UMass | Fairfield | CAA | 12-8 L |
| 4/28 | Fairfield | Towson | CAA | 9-8 W |
The Stags replace Bucknell, Cleveland State (which was cancelled), Richmond, and UMass Lowell with Hartford, Quinnipiac, St. Joe’s, and Vermont.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: vs. Penn State
Last year’s thriller in Happy Valley was televised on ESPNU, a rare TV opportunity for both teams, and they delivered. The Stags used an early fourth quarter run to take a one-goal lead, but the Nittany Lions scored the game’s final two goals to take the 9-8 win. This should be entertaining once again.
Best Conference Game: @ Towson
Fairfield was Towson’s only loss in conference play, thanks to a 4-0 run in the first half. The Tigers lose some of their scoring punch from a year ago, but their defense will still be solid. This game is at Johnny Unitas Stadium this year.
Under The Radar Game: vs. Vermont
Fairfield has another interesting season-opening game this year, this time against the Catamounts. They’re not Richmond, but Vermont does have a good offense returning in Ben French, Dawes Milchling, and the return of Ian MacKay to the team after missing all of last year.
Possible Upset: vs. Yale
They almost did it last year, but lost in double overtime on a wild goal. Ben Reeves wasn’t 100% healthy yet, but he did manage to score the game-winner. This could be a game that shows that maybe The Bulldogs aren’t that strong as many people think they are. Will Travis Ford and Colin Burke had big games once again?
For other schedules and team rosters, check out our Men’s Division I matrix.