NEC Women's Lacrosse Championship Headquarters
Staten Island, NY – Following a tough 11-10 loss to Bryant on Friday, the Wagner women's lacrosse team will host Central Connecticut in a Senior Day matchup at Hameline Field on Sunday with opening draw set for 1:00 p.m.
The Seahawks, who saw their six-game winning streak come to an end vs. Bryant, enter Sunday's play with an overall record of 10-5, and a 5-1 Northeast Conference (NEC) mark. CCSU, meanwhile, is 2-13 on the season and 1-5 in league play. If the Green & White get by the Blue Devils, they will match the all-time record for wins in a season, a mark currently held by the 2002 and 2014 teams, who went 11-6 and 11-7, respectively.
Wagner has sewn up a berth in next week's NEC Tournament and will be joined by Bryant, Mount St. Mary's and Robert Morris in the four-team event, which begins with the semifinals on Thursday, May 3, followed by the championship game on Saturday, May 5.
When freshman midfielder
Ally Alliegro scored two straight goals, to give Wagner a 10-9 lead with less than two minutes to play last time out vs. Bryant, it appeared that the Seahawks were on their way to hosting the NEC Championship for the first time in program history.
The Bulldogs, however, rallied with two goals in the game's final 1:17 to win it, moving to 6-0 in the NEC and sending the tournament back to Bryant's Smithfield, RI campus for the fifth consecutive year. Each of the last four NEC title games have come down to matchups between Wagner and Bryant, with the Seahawks claiming their first, and only, NEC championship in 2016.
The Green & White feature five players who have scored 30 or more points thus far on the season, led by Alliegro, (31g,-16a-47 pts), who has won four NEC Rookie of the Week awards, and is coming off a six-goal, one assist effort vs. Bryant. In addition, the Bayport, NY native has collected a team-high 46 draw controls, which rank ninth on the Seahawk all-time single-season list.
Junior attack
Anna Belle Reilly (20g-25a-44 pts), whose 25 assists lead the team and tie for fifth on the single-season chart, ranks second in scoring. Senior midfielder
Lauren Ednie (39g-5a-44 points), the team leader in goals (39), ground balls (44) and caused turnovers (23), is the Seahawks' third-leading scorer.
Rounding out the top five Wagner scorers on the season are senior attack
Heidi Colford (29g-9-38 pts), whose sizzling .580 shooting percentage ranks among the nation's top-10, and reigning NEC Player of the Week,
Marjorie Dehm (30g-4a-34 pts). Checking in at sixth in scoring for Wagner this season is freshman midfielder
Erin Kerstetter, with 22 points on 19 goals and three assists. While not finding the scoreboard vs. Bryant on Friday, the speedy Kerstetter made her presencee felt by aggressively scooping up 10 groundballs, which are the most by a Seahawk this season.
In goal, senior
Lucy Darlington, who has started all 15 games between the pipes, boasts a .489 save percentage, which ranks in the top-20 nationally, as well as a goals against average of 9.72. Classmate
Kelsey Fee has seen action in 12 games off the bench, and has posted a save percentage of .411 on 37 saves, and a goals against average of 10.34.
Prior to the game, a ceremony will be held at midfield honoring Wagner's six seniors:
Heidi Colford
Lucy Darlington
Lauren Ednie
Kelsey Fee
Carolyn Marron
April Simmons
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