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Fairfield women’s soccer graduate Ashley Small was honored as one of two recipients of the Bob McCloskey Insurance MAAC Post-Graduate Scholarship. Small plans to use the scholarship towards her MBA, which she will start this year in Fairfield’s Masters’ Program.

“I am extremely honored to have been chosen as a recipient of this scholarship,” Small said. “Being on this team has helped me achieve so much athletically and academically and I am excited to be able to continue my journey.”

“Given that we have nine recent graduates several of whom have entered graduate programs here at Fairfield and other fine colleges in the Northeast, I felt that Ashley was most well deserving,” Head Coach Jim O'Brien said. “Ashley was consistently a Dean’s List student through her undergraduate career and was a standout performer on the field of play.”

On the field, Small excelled as Fairfield’s speedy striker, registering 25 goals, the ninth most in program history. Most of those tallies came during her final two seasons, as she registered 13 markers during her junior campaign that helped her to an All-MAAC First Team selection. As one of the team’s four captains during 2014, Small notched eight goals, en route to an All-MAAC Second Team honor.

However, this scholarship delves more into the character of the honorees and weighs heavily on academic accomplishments and community involvement. During her four years at Fairfield, Small earned a 3.68 GPA in the University’s renowned accounting program and was named to the All-MAAC Academic team every year of her eligibility.

“Being a member of the Fairfield women’s soccer team allowed me to achieve my childhood goal of being a collegiate soccer player,” Small said. “Now, with the help of this scholarship I will be taking the next step to achieve my goal of becoming a CPA.”

“I began the recruiting process with Ashley when she was entering the ninth grade,” Coach O’Brien said. “She immediately impressed me as a potential student athlete here. Her rapid development as a player was everything I expected and more. She became a leader on the field as well as improving her conditioning and commitment in the weight room.”

Small graduated in May from a women’s soccer program that has emphasized academics throughout their history. Just last season, the Stags led the conference with 15 selections to the All-MAAC Academic team and earned a NSCAA Academic award for maintaining a 3.36 GPA.

“I’ve always spoke to Ashley about how her abilities to set goals both academically and athletically would bode well for her success in a professional career,” O’Brien said. “I feel that she will always be successful in her future endeavors in the business world.”

“There’s not a single doubt in my mind that my undergraduate studies at Fairfield have prepared me for the business world,” Small said. “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what the future holds.”