2015 NEC PRESEASON POLL I 2015 SCHEDULE I 2015 PRESEASON VIDEO

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Pictured Above: Junior attacker Stephanie Peterson (photo by Dave Saffran)

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner women's lacrosse team, which reached the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Game for the first time in program history last season, and was voted second in the annual NEC Poll in balloting among the NEC's eight head coaches earlier this week, will host the American University Eagles in a Noon start on Saturday at Hameline Field.

The Seahawks opened the 2015 campaign with a 9-7 loss at Bucknell on Tuesday. In facing its second straight Patriot League member, Wagner, which is led by co-captains Megan Sardella (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), a senior defender, and junior attacker Kimmy Tumolo (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview), will meet an Eagles team which opened their season with an impressive 20-9 victory over VCU last Saturday.

Bryant, which defeated the Seahawks in the 2014 NEC title game, was picked to defend their championship in 2015, receiving five first-place votes. The Bulldogs set a school record with 15 wins last season and went undefeated in NEC play before falling to No. 7 Boston College in the first round.

The Seahawks, who were chosen seventh in the 2014 preseason poll before opening eyes and taking the league by storm with a second-place finish at 6-1, received three first-place votes. Robert Morris placed third, garnering one first-place tally while Central Connecticut, Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart closely followed in completing the top six. LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis U round out the poll in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

The Seahawks posted an 11-7 record a year ago and return NEC Defensive Player of the Year Shea Gegan (Belmar, NJ/Manasquan). The 5-10 junior midfielder led the nation in caused turnovers (64) and caused turnovers per game (3.61) in 2014, while also pacing the NEC with 3.39 ground balls per game.  Equally impressive on the offensive side, Gegan led the Seahawks in points (47) and assists (18, third in NEC).

The benchmark of second-year head coach Liz Frisoli's career has been stifling defense. It didn't take Frisoli long to make her mark season as the Seahawks' defense in 2014 was nothing short of elite, ranking first nationally in caused turnovers (241) and caused turnovers per game (13.39). The Green & White also ranked sixth in ground balls at 19.61 per game.

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