Both the Fairfield boys and girls soccer programs had active weeks, with the boys extending their strong season and the girls navigating a challenging stretch of back-to-back games.
Boys vs. Washington — Monday, April 20th
Fairfield’s boys opened the week with a 3-1 victory over Washington, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime on goals from Lane Stever and Oliver Siemsen, each assisted by Cormac Van Pelt and Ben Strickland respectively. Rowan Kness added a third goal early in the second half to push the lead to 3-0, before Washington converted off a corner kick to pull one back.
Head coach Felisto Guezimane credited the defensive effort while acknowledging a brief lapse after the third goal. “We failed to clear the ball and after three attempts, they were able to put one behind the net,” Guezimane said. “We did drop our focus for a moment after the third goal and made a mistake that resulted in the corner kick for the Demons. Chaz had another solid game in the back and Ben provided some supportive defensive work in the second half.”
Fairfield finished with 13 shots, eight on goal. Henry Swan needed just one save in goal as Washington managed nine shots with only four on target. Cormac Van Pelt also missed a penalty kick during the match.
Fairfield improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Washington fell to 3-3-1 overall and 0-3-1 in the conference.
Boys at Fort Madison — Thursday, April 23rd
Fairfield picked up a hard-fought 2-1 road victory over Fort Madison to close out the week, with the game tied 1-1 at halftime before Oliver Siemsen broke the deadlock in the second half for the game-winning goal. Cormac Van Pelt scored Fairfield’s first goal, assisted by Lane Stever.
Henry Swan was the difference-maker in goal, making seven saves to keep Fairfield in the match throughout as the Bloodhounds had 18 shots, with nine on goal. Guezimane acknowledged it was not Fairfield’s cleanest performance. “Swan was very busy, but kept us in the game with great saves,” he said. “Chaz was again a force in the back. We didn’t have the best game tonight, but stuck in there and fought till the end. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take the win and play another day.”
Fairfield advances to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, placing them in sole possession of second place behind Mount Pleasant. Fort Madison drops to 5-3-1 overall and 3-2 in the conference. Fairfield’s next match is a road rematch against Burlington on Monday, April 27th.
Girls at Washington — Monday, April 20th
The Fairfield girls opened their week with a tough 5-1 loss at Washington. Lexi Mast scored Fairfield’s lone goal in the second half off an assist from Emma Metcalf, but the team was unable to gain momentum despite having good chances, including a missed penalty kick by Mast. Faith Jones made three saves in goal.
Fairfield fell to 2-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Washington improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
Girls at Knoxville — Tuesday, April 21st
Playing in back-to-back days, Fairfield’s girls earned a 1-1 draw at Knoxville in their first non-conference game of the season. Emma Metcalf scored the Fairfield goal in the first half, with Faith Jones making two saves in goal. Both teams were playing on consecutive days, with Knoxville moving to 1-3-3 and Fairfield to 2-2-1 overall.
Girls vs. Fort Madison — Thursday, April 23rd
Playing their third game in four days, the Fairfield girls fell 6-0 to Fort Madison. The result dropped Fairfield to 2-3-1 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
Fairfield’s next match is Monday, April 27th at home against Burlington, though the game will be played at the Dexter Soccer Complex rather than the high school pitch, which will be occupied by a middle school track meet.
