Ellsbury: Nero deserves a scholarship

In an article for the Fairfield Citizen, Chris Ellsbury argues that Greg Nero deserves a scholarship to play basketball at Fairfield University even if he is unable to play at the beginning of the season or at any point during the year.

I cannot agree more with this article. In 2008, when the team had to cope with injury upon injury and the suspension of their star player in Jon Han, Nero took it all in stride. He came to the Arena with the same smile on his face and his trademark golden kindness despite the sickness and injuries that he had to battle through.

It would have been easy for Nero to quit. Who would have blamed him? No Edney, Han, and Johnson. After all he was going through injuries himself. But he became the face of the team. A reason for the fans to come out and believe in the team. This team would not be where it is today without that.

Now that the Stags are starting to become legitimate in the MAAC we will find out where their allegiance lie. Jamal Turner and Shimeek Johnson have already transferred and the situation with Greg Nero will show the loyalty that Cooley has to his players. After all, they are just as much to credit for the team's rise to power.

Colgate 3 Fairfield 1

The Fairfield Stags (0-3) were defeated by the Colgate Raiders (2-0) yesterday in the Colgate Classic. The loss finishes a hard sweep aganist the Stags. Check out the Stags website for a complete recap and boxscore.

The Least You Should Know

-Fairfield still has never beaten Colgate as they are now 0-5 in program history aganist the Patriot League school.

-Alex Lopez still does not have a kill this year.

-Romansky had 4 kills, 26 assists, and 2 block assists to offset 2 errors.

- Brianna Dixion was the only Stag to reach double digits in kills with 10. She has reached at least that figure in every game so far.

- The Stags made 26 errors and now have 82 on the year.

This not the way that the Stags wanted to get their season started. Last year, they went 2-1 in their first three games albiet it was from easier competition. But this always happens for the Stags. They dominate the regular season but cannot seem to win in out of conference games. You wonder, how strong is the MAAC? The Stags finished the year 145th in the nation in RPI ranking and combined with Niagara they were the only two MAAC schools in the top 150. It just might be the strongest weak team beating up on other weak teams in a bad conference.

The Stags are only hitting .145 as a team and only have 2 players hitting over .300.

Stephanie Cruz has more kills than Alex Lopez.

Up Next:

The Stags will play in the Northern Colorado Classic. They will face South Dakota and Georgia on September 3rd.

Fairfield 2 Binghamton 0

The Fairfield Stags (2-0) women's soccer team shut out the Binghamton Bear Cats (0-1) at Lessing Field for the Stag's home opener. It was the first meeting between the two and Fairfield has record back to back shutouts. Check out the Stags website for a complete recap and boxscore.

The Least You Should Know:

- It is only the second time in program history that they shutout the first two opponents. The first one coming in the very first year.

- The Stags are now 5-0-1 in home openers under Coach Jim O' Brien.

- The two goals were scored by Nicole Cavallaro and Kasey Schulz. It was the first of the season for both.

- Kelly Boudreau assisted on the first goal (the first of her career) and Sarah Alesio dished out to Cavallaro in the second half.

- Stags only allowed 3 shots on goal. Throughout the first 2 games they have only allowed 4 shots.

The defense is really looking like a surprise for this team. Alyssa Decker had an amazing game and the Bear Cats were not able to get anything by her for most of the game. Carly Beyar also looks very good at the midfield as she showed off her athleticism and also played very well on defense.

Jasmin Corniel did take 3 shots and have one of those on goal, but she made some bad kicks and sat for most of the second half.

The game ball:

Goes to Kasey Schulz who mad an amazing shot falling down and hitting the top of the far post. Both of her shots were on goal and she really made matchup difficulties due to her speed.

NBA Suspends Kenny Hasbrouck

According to Siena Saints Hoop, the NBA has suspended the former Siena grad for two games without pay for pleading guilty for DUI

Syracuse 3 Fairfield 1

The Syracuse Orange (1-0) defeated the Fairfield Stags (0-2) by two sets in the nightcap of the Colgate Classic. The Stags are now 0-2 all time aganist the Big East foe. For the full boxscore click here. For a recap click here.

Much better game for the Stags only committing 24 errors. Pokipala who hit 11 errors in the first game only misfired on 6 shots tonight. While having 14 kills.

Brianna Dixion once again led the team in kills with 15 for the second straight game. She did committ 6 errors, but this is what Fairfield needs from the sophomore.

Rachel Romansky looks like the real deal! She had 39 assists and 4 kills which gives her 10 kills and 66 assists through the first 2 games. Lauren Balmert, the setter it looks like she is replacing, only had 69 kills and 20 errors last year. Romansky only has 1 error!

Here is what I am afraid of. Alex Lopez is yet to have a kill since returning from injury that sidelined her all of last year. Hopefully she can get things going again. The Stags are going to need her.

Fairfield will play tomorrow night at 7 pm aganist the host Colgate.

Rhode Island 3 Fairfield 1

The Fairfield Stags (0-1) were defeated by the Rhode Island Rams (1-0) 3 sets to one in the opening game of the Colgate Classic. For the complete box score click here. The Stags are now 1-3 all-time aganist the Rams and 15-11 in season openers.

The Stags were absolutely dominated in the first set to put it very nicely. They were down as much as 10 when the score was 17-7. Romansky was the only Stag to play well with 2 kills and 3 assists without an error. Fellow freshmen Hayley Moyer had 3 errors in 3 attempts and as a team the Stags had 9 total.

Fairfield lost the fourth set 25-6! committing 9 errors and having about a 15 point losing streak. That is only the second time in 2 years the Stags could not score into the double digits in a set over the past two years. The other came September 5th against #7 Michigan where they only scored 9.

The only set they won came in the third set where they edged the Rams 25-23.

The Stags committed 32 errors in the afternoon game! Compared to Rhode Island's 12. Pokipala led the team with 11 of those errors followed by freshmen Hayley Moyer with 6. The Hawaii native had 129 errors last year the second worst on the team.

There were some good points. Brianna Dixion led the team with 15 kills (the 21st time in her career she finished with 10 or more) but the most important is that she only had 1 error!

Freshmen Rachel Romansky filled up the column today. She had 7 kills 25 assists and 7 digs!

The Stags will next play tonight at 7pm aganist the Syracuse Orange

Pregame: Fairfield vs Rhode Island

The Fairfield Stags and University of Rhode Island Rams will both open their volleyball season at 12:30 in the Colgate Classic. For live stats click here.

The Stags are 1-2 aganist the Rams with their last meeting in 2005. The Stags are also 15-10 in season openers. This is one of the two games they will play today.

LINEUP:

Romansky

Segebert

Moyer

Steiger A.

Pokipala

Hughes

Anthony Johnson to play in Europe

Former Stags center Anthony Johnson has announced that he has signed a contract and will play in Europe. He is the third former MAAC star to announce that he will play in Europe including Siena's Ronald Moore and Alex Franklin. He announced on his facebook that he "will take my basketball skills over to cyprus and play for Keravnos."

Keravnos is one of the powerhouses of Cypriot basketball. They have won multiple league cups and championships.

I am so happy for Peanut and know this is just the next step in his career. I will always Coach Cooley's quote in the MAAC Tournament. When speaking of Peanut he said, for all you writers out there pay attention to this guy, his life will make a good book. I agree with Cooley, for everything that he has been through on and off the court, he is a proven leader and will succeed in the next chapter of his life.

Fairfield 1 Bryant 0

The Fairfield Stags (1-0) defeated the Butler Bulldogs (0-1) on the road by a single goal. For a full box score click here.

-The lone goal was scored by Preseason player of the year, Jasmine Corniel

-Butler only had one shot to save in the entire game

-Fairfield only allowed one corner kick in the entire matchup.

This is what Fairfield needed to do to start the season. They got a goal from someone who is expected to be there top scorer and they won without two of their starters!

The win snaps a 2 year losing streak in season openers.

I hope their defense can play the same way.

Ed Cooley will appear on ESPN U tonight at 6pm

For the full story click here.

Coach Ed Cooley will be a guest of Katz corner with ESPN Andy Katz. He will be the only MAAC Coach and the only head coach in the state of Connecticut to appear on the college basketball preview show

Fairfield Wins Regionals: On to LLWS

For the full story click here.

Farfield defeated Rhode Island 1-0 to advance to the Little League World Series. They will play the winner of the Northwest Regionals either Idaho's North Boise or Washington's Auburn in Game 1 on Friday on ESPN3.com 1PM.

Congrats to the kids and LETS GO FAIRFIELD!

Link: Reunion for Women's Soccer Coaches

In today's edition of the New York Times there is an interesting article about the reunion of Sean Driscoll and Susie Starr.

Driscoll used to be the coach of the New Canaan High School Girls and Starr was the goal keeper of Fairfield High School, the school that would continously stop New Canaan from winning the FCIAC title. "It was one of the biggest rivalries at the time," Driscoll recalled.

They are now reunited at Fairfield with Driscoll recently being named the women's soccer team's associate head coach and Starr who is beginning her thrid season as an assistant head coach in charge of goal keepers.

Driscoll, who grew up in Trumbull, spent the last 5 years as the head coach for MAAC rival, the Manhattan Jaspers where he won 40 games including a school record 12 in 2005.

So in conclusion, after three years trying to beat each other for a title, they will try and win one together.

Stags to play host to Vermont on December 20

The Fairfield Stags will play the University of Vermont at home on December 20th. Vermont finished 25-10 overall last year and won their conference and was a 16 seed in the NCAA tournament.

This is the second known OOC game joined with the Stags travelling to Gainesville on December 28th to face the University of Florida. Vermont will compete aganist 4 total MAAC teams this year including: Iona, Siena, Fairfield, and Marist.

The last time the Stags played Vermont, they were defeated in the Bracketbuster game.

Mens Soccer Recruting Class has a more Local feel

A year after the Stags signed 4 New Zealand born recruits the class of 2014 has more local players. With 4 out of 5 of the incoming freshmen around the Tri-State area it looks like Coach Rees is trying to get more of a local flare. Here is a breakdown of the class.

Anthony Arena- (D, Seaford NY, St Anthony's)
He's a defender who has also been known to score. He ranked 25th in the New York area in points with 8 all with 4 goals. His team the St. Anthony's Friars looks like a power house in the league. The same school as Joe Michaelson (men's tennis team) and Larry Cornelia (men's baseball) was 30-3 overall and had 6 players ranked in the top 25.

Wow the defenders on this team are very young. Erik Ilisije is probably the most experienced defender on the team but combined with the now sophmore Kiwis, Johnny Raj and Adam Cowen, the defense looks very young and talented. Now I think the big area that we need to improve on is offense because it looks like our defense it set for the next couple of years.

Patrick Bellero- (MF, Melville NY, Half Hollow Hills)
A mid-fielder who scored 10 goals in a season. He took the corner kicks for his team which finished 18-11 overall.

I don't think he will be taking the corner kicks for the Stags but I do like the fact that he is a scorer. We are losing a pretty consistent player in Christian Uy who was one of the best passers the school has seen. With 3 midfielders in this class hopefully one of them can step up and be that presence.

Matthew Danaher- (MF, Trumbull CT, St. Joseph)

He has his own highlight reel. He made the first team all-FCIAC the only one on his team to do so.

Wow this guy looks like the real deal. In his various highlight packages he is clearly able to blast past offender and is great at getting the ball to mid field. He can use his quickness and strength which is a deadly package. I think he might be the strongest in the class.


Matteo Marzoli- (MF, Westport CT, Staples)

He was a part of the youngest team in Staples history and they were almost undefeated.
This kid seems to have a very strong leg. Various reports say that he has scored on free kicks from around 50 yards! He was also the player that the team looked to to set up the offense and was great at clearing the ball.



Jon Clements- (Boreham Woods, England)


This player seems to have alot of intangibles. His old coach used words such as "ambassador" and remarked that he also "played a massive in our promotion"


How about this. For Woods he scored over 80 goals in just 2 seasons! WOW!

Austin Cooley dismissed from Niagara

According to the Niagara message board, Junior guard Austin Cooley will be leaving Niagara University.

Cooley played in 31 games last year for the Purple Eagles and averaged 4.5 points per contest. He was expected to compete for a starting job this season with the loss of Niagara's senior class. This could obviously be a big impact for the Niagara team this year. However, we all know that this will be a rebuilding team.

There is no official word if this rumor is true and Cooley still appears on the Niagara website.

-UPDATE-

Austin Cooley has been dismissed from Niagara.

Volleyball Schedule

For the complete schedule click here.

This schedule does not seem as difficult as last seasons. This all comes down to how weak the MAAC actually is. Fairfield ended the year 145th in the nation in RPI and combined with Niagara was the only MAAC team in the top 150. There is something to be said for a team that finishes only 3-10 in their out-of-conference games and still completely dominate their conference at least in the regular season.

I am also disappointed that there is no home OOC games this season. Last year the Stags faced both Fordham and UCONN at Alumni Hall. Students actually showed up to the Wednesday night affair aganist UCONN. In fact Fairfield does not play a home game until September 25th playing 13 straight games on the road or at neutral site!

2010 Mens Soccer Schedule

For the complete schedule click here.

This looks like a great schedule for the team. We should be at the top of the MAAC while only graduating a few seniors from last year and having Jack Burridge healthy.

What I'm most impressed with is having 7 straight home games to begin the year. Hopefully we get a fan fare for a couple of those including: Boston College and U Mass.

2010 Women's Soccer Schedule

For the complete schedule click here.

The beginning of the year looks pretty difficult for the Stags. Games such as at Georgetown will be pretty interesting to see where the club is. But I am really looking forward to the Boston College game at home. Hopefully students will show up for that game. The good news is that they do not go on the Buffalo swing with Niagara and Cansius coming here.

Siena's Clarence Jackson suffers broken foot

For the complete story click here.

Siena's Clarence Jackson has suffered a broken foot and is wearing a walking boot. The injury has sidlined him for the last few weeks but doesn't expect to impact him in the upcoming year.

He is scheduled to have x-rays on Thursday. "I'm just fortunate that it happened now," the Saint's senior said, "It's not the best way to have your summer but it happens. It's part of basketball.

This is shocking news but does not look like it will impact the MAAC this year. Siena will be highly dependent on the play of Ryan Rossiter and Clarence Jackson this year. I hope he is ok and this heals quickly.

Link: Fairfield University ranked 313th Best University

According to Forbes.com, Fairfield University is ranked 313th Best University in the nation. We rank behind schools such as: University of San Diego, Manhattan College, Siena College, Marist College, and even Transylvania.

This has to be a big drop I assume. I know Fairfield has a drop in the enrollment in the last few years but I would have to believe we were better than 313th.

Despite tuition being in the $50,000 range.

Link: Herbie Allen wants to play professionally in Europe

In this edition of the New York Times, Joseph Staszewski writes about Herbie Allen and his current job at CBS Sports.

Herbie says his job is "watching college basketball games, knowing what players are transferring and updating the website."

However, Allen has said that he wishes to play professionally in Europe. The former Stags guard has played in Belize and with the New Jersey Express of the ABA. The Queens native has played the last two summers with the national team including in the Central Basketball Championship last year.

I wish Herbie Allen all the luck in the world. He is someone who you can easily underestimate but he showed in the injury plagued 2008 season that he can lead a team. He was arguably the Stags best player down the stretch and led them to a semi-final appearance. He says that is his ultimate goal and I hope a team gives him a chance because he has so many intangibles.

Women's Basketball team adds niece of Luol Deng

The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team has announced a new recruit for the upcoming year. Christelle Akon- Akech (Lyon, France) becomes the fourth member of the Class of 2014. For a complete story click here.

She is described as someone who can control the game despite being 5'10''. According to this report she likes to drive to the basket when she is not dishing it to her teammates. She is not an outside shooter while preferring to go inside or pass.

Frager describes her as "an athletic 5'10'', wing player who will add versatility to our team. She has excellent vertical leaping ability and has played multiple positions in the past.

Reports also say that she is a pretty good defender. In a game on January 13th she "played exceptionally tough defense aganist the highly touted 6'3'' Peddie guard Hayley Peters who has committed to Duke."

Her accomplishments include: All-League and All-Area accolades and Blair Academy's MVP. She also lettered in cross country and track.

I like this move if she gets playing time. I think that trying to play everyone will be a tough task for Frager next year. Joelle Nawrocki will have some good games but she looked overmatched when she was playing as a forward and could not handle the ball as a guard.

The team lost alot of length with Stephanie Geehan and Tara Flaherty graduating. The Stags needed an athletic player to compliment Taryn Johnson. With those two athletic players on the floor good things can happen for the Stags.

Sanya Richards Interview at 9 PM

The pre recorded interview with two time Olympic Gold Medalist Sanya Richards will make it's world premiere tonight at 9 PM during Gettin' Lite

So listen in with the interview with the fastest US Woman!

Only on WVOF 88.5 FM and wvof.org

Baseball John Slosar will retire after 2011

Last month long time baseball coach John Slosar announced that he will retire after the 2011 season. After 27 years as Stags head coach, he has collected over 400 victories and led the team to 4 MAAC South titles while winning one MAAC Championship. The three-time MAAC Coach of the Year led Fairfield to 11 20-win seasons.

Slosar exploded on the national scene as a player for the University of Connecticut where he helped the Huskies finish fifth in the 1972 College World Series by hitting .400 during the tournament.

Fairfield Athletic Director Gene Doris has commented, "I am very appreciative of the contribution John has made to Fairfield University athletics, both as a coach and as an administrator."

Coach Slosar has certainly made his presence felt here at Fairfield and it is hard to say that the baseball team would be where it is at today without his great coaching. Even this year with an 8-16 conference record there is still reason to hope. Sophmore Anthony Hajjar looks like he is the real deal and combined with the leadership of their best player senior Tucker Nathans, the Stags will hope to improve on that.

The baseball team, however, has been struggling the last few years and really has not been relevant in playoff discussions. Their MAAC record has dropped in each of the last four seasons and have not had a winning conference record in 10 years. Either way, it will be nice for Slosar to go out on top this year. It is hard to put 27 years into anything, and to do it at a college baseball level is saying something.

Stags Still Swinging in Summer

Although the Collegiate baseball season might be over, several Stags are still playing in various leagues. The Stags who finished 18-32 last year hope that this will give their players experience and more games under their belt.

Fairfield second baseman Tucker Nathans is currently playing in the semi-finals in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) has already been named his team's MVP and an all-star. He is batting an unheard of .600 with five runs scored during the postseason. His team the Danbury Westeners have a record of 24-18 so far. he is playing on the same team as Stag's first baseman and new all-time single season hits leader Anthony Hajjar. The 2010 MAAC Rookie of the Year has suffered an injury that will sideline him for the rest of the summer.

While one Stag player moves on, another one is eliminated. Nathan's Westeners defeated the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club and Fairfield pitcher Mark Bordonaro on August fourth to advance to the final four. The now sophomore finished the summer with a 3.69 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 39 innings of work.

The Long Island Collegians of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) consists of three Stags. Larry Cornelia, Carmine DeVito, and Scott Gussaroff have helped the team to a 22-15 record and to clinch the Kaiser Division. The ACBL have a long list of successful MLB alumni, most notably Craig Biggio, Eric Young, and Frank Viola and these three hope to learn from the experience. They are making the best of the opportunity and have really shined throughout the summer. Cornelia is batting .318 with 15 runs and 11 stolen bases while driving in 13. DeVito is only batting .236 but has 12 runs and 10 RBIs in 23 games. Rounding out the Stags representatives, Gussaroff is pitching to a 3.86 ERA and has fanned 10 in 7 relief appearances.

Last but not least, Stag infielder Tyler Wosleger has been playing for the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League. The Stag infielder has struggled a little this summer batting only .209 with 13 walks, 18 RBIs and 11 runs for the seventh place Border Cats. Wosleger is trying to get more than just baseball experience. The Journalism major is keeping a weekly blog that can be viewed by clicking here.

It's nice to see that the Stags have been successful in the Summer Leagues and I hope that this experience can help them in the 2011 season. They have been on the border of being relevant for the past few years and these games might bring them over the top. This combined the the retirement of their long reigning coaches might give them the push they need.

I am really impressed with Tucker Nathans. Being named MVP to a team in the semi-finals and have representatives from power conferences is truly amazing. Coming into his senior season, hopefully the Stags can go to the playoffs for the first time in his baseball career. He truly deserves it and is an underrated player in the MAAC.