For a girls soccer program that is accustomed to competing for district championships, last fall’s losing campaign was a disappointing one for the Fairfield Knights.
Coach Owen Phelan’s squad played to a 6-7-1 record and missed the playoffs, a sharp contrast from the previous season which saw the Knights earn the No. 1 seed for the District 3-1A postseason.
Eager to put 2024 in the rear-vew mirror, Fairfield is off to an undefeated start this season and has been dominant every step of the way. The Knights have a chance to improve to 4-0 on Thursday evening when they travel to Biglerville for a YAIAA III scrap that we’ve selected as our Game of the Week.
Biglerville has struggled out of the gates this fall, but don’t count out the Canners, who grinded out two hard-earned wins over Fairfield last fall. The Knights have won every game by multiple goals this season, and will be looking to do so again on Thursday.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming games or meets we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Fairfield at Biglerville
Kickoff: Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Biglerville
Records: Fairfield is 3-0, with all three of its wins coming in YAIAA III play. Biglerville checks in at 1-3 (0-3).
Last game: The Knights defeated York Catholic, 3-1, while the Canners are coming off a 3-2 loss to Littlestown.
Last meeting: Biglerville beat Fairfield twice last season, by 2-1 scores each time.
Meet the Knights: Few teams have gotten off to a hotter start than coach Owen Phelan’s Fairfield squad, an outfit that has outscored its first three opponents 17-1 and pitched two shutouts … The Knights opened their season with blowouts over Littlestown (5-0) and Hanover (9-0), before earning a 3-1 victory over York Catholic earlier this week … While individual stats from the first two games have not been available, we can tell you that Charlie Sweeney scored all three goals for Fairfield in the win over the Fighting Irish, with Gemma Phelan providing a pair of assists … Sophomore Ella Gastley is back on the field for Fairfield after nailing down Second Team YAIAA III honors last season … Ranked No. 2 in the latest batch of District 3-1A power rankings, the unbeaten Knights are on track for significant improvement over last year’s 6-7-1 campaign.
Meet the Canners: Biglerville is under the guidance of first-year head coach Summer Slusser, who played her senior season for the Canners in 2014 … Slusser’s first obstacle in her new role is getting her team out of an early-season slump. Biglerville opened its season with a 5-1 win over James Buchanan, but has gone 0-3 since, getting outscored 14-2 in the process … Goals against the Canners will come at a premium with Eva Hollabaugh, a YAIAA III First Team All-Star last fall, protecting the net … Arlett Diaz-Hinojosa, a YAIAA Second Teamer, has produced one goal and one assist so far in 2025 … The bulk of Biglerville’s scoring has been provided by Audrey Reginton (3 goals) and Tory Pickett (2 goals), with Klaire Mendoza (1 goal, 1 assist) and Aleena Scott (1 assist) also contributing … A win over Fairfield would be a huge boost for the Canners, who currently rank No. 18 in the latest District 3-2A power rankings.
Sandrik’s pick: Knights by 3.
