Just Make it Right

They need to make things right. And for the last two games, things have not been quite right for the Fairfield University women’s basketball team. The Stags dropped their second straight contest as they were defeated by Siena to drop their MAAC record to 10-6 and 17-10 overall currently tied with the Saints for fifth in the conference. “[The result was] a little disappointed. Obviously it’s against Siena. It would’ve been great to have a win,” senior forward Joelle Nawrocki said.

It should’ve been a cheerful night for Nawrocki and her fellow senior Kelly Romano as they stepped on to the hardwood for the last time in the regular season as Stags. “That was awesome,” Nawrocki said. “I felt like I had a lot of support around me.” The Unionville native became a prominent piece of the Stag’s puzzle in the last couple of years after only playing 93 minutes and scoring just 18 points in her first two seasons. Her fellow classmate Kelly Romano also shares an important role for the Stags even though it might not be displayed on any box score. She can be seen on the sidelines as the vocal leader for the squad and remains the definition of a team captain. She says she wants to be remembered “just as a hard worker, a team player. Basically just a Fairfield player.”

They entered the program in head coach Joe Frager’s first year with Fairfield and he shares a special connection with his two upperclassmen. “I think those two kids epitomized the way we want our kids to conduct ourselves,” he said. “Because of the type of the people they are, the way they were raised, and the quality of education they received here at Fairfield University, they are going to go on to do outstanding things.”

But things weren’t all perfect on their senior night. “It was nice- brought back some memories. I wish we could have closed it out with a win,” Romano said. The Stags have still failed to show that they can beat a team in the ‘upper class’ in the MAAC as they have not defeated an above .500 squad this season. “Maybe [those thoughts] creep into their heads a little bit. It’s our job as a staff when those thoughts start to creep in those thoughts kind of punch them right back out,” Frager said.

The squad is now 0-2 against Siena and if the season were to end today they would oppose them in the first round match up. However Frager believes that won’t lead to a negative mindset come tournament time. “I would hope as competitors it doesn’t lead to concern,” he said. “If you’ve been beaten twice if you are a competitor you want a chance to make it right. I never use the word revenge but as an athlete you want to set things right.”

Frager thinks his team has the heart to fight through this tough stretch of games and succeed in the playoffs based on their determination and effort. “I’m sure our kids are going to bust their butts to try and make this right,” he said.

Although they have more home wins than any other team in the conference, they still have yet to win a game in the Webster Bank Arena, the very place that will decide their fate in the MAAC tournament. “I think our guys got kind of a comfort level playing at Alumni but we’ve had three times down here we got to get it right,” he said. “When the lights go out and the board goes off and the red spotlight comes on, it’s an exciting thing but it can also make you a little tense a little tight.”

The women’s basketball team aren’t the only ones who have lost out at the experience of winning at the 9,000 seat venue: the fans have too. And they are not the only people who need to make things right: the students have to also.

During the interview, Frager dropped his head and sighed with a pause before answering the question. There seemed to be a sense of desire and dejection in his tone. He said:
“
this is a direct request, plea from me that some of the students get out and support the women’s team. Our men are having a phenomenal season and we support them 100 percent. We would like to see some of the same support for the women because they’re really busting their butts. We love Coach Cooley, we love the guys and we know the students love them, we just almost want them to show a little love for our women too.”