NEC Tournament Headquarters

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner field hockey team will participate in their first playoff game in program history when they battle LIU in the Northeast Conference (NEC) semifinals on Friday at the Wagner Field Hockey Complex.

Last Time Out…

• The Seahawks ended their regular season by celebrating senior day with a 4-3 overtime victory over Lehigh. For Wagner, they finish the regular season with a 3-0 record in sudden death play and head into the playoffs riding a four-game winning streak.
• The Mountain Hawks opened the scoring when graduate student Drew Pecora found the back of the net in the second quarter.
• The visitors doubled their lead early in the second half when Sarah Bonthuis finished a rebound of a penalty corner that was inserted by Bonthuis.
• The Seahawks responded 35 seconds later when junior Kira Mordvinov found sophomore Natalie Rocuskie who fired a shot into the yawning cage. For the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native, it was her third consecutive game with a goal and her fifth in the last three games.
• Lehigh extended their lead shortly after the Green & White got on the board as Bonthuis tallied her second of the quarter. Despite being outshot 6-2 by Lehigh, senior netminder Daisy Ruhle stopped three shots to keep the Seahawks in the contest.
• Senior Julia Cruces Pastorino brought the Seahawks to within one goal off a penalty stroke with 12 minutes remaining. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native again found the back of the net when she deflected a shot from senior Laura Van Hamburg.
• The contest headed to overtime and the Seahawks claimed their ninth victory of the season when Cruces Pastorino made a long run with the ball and found Van Hamburg who launched a shot past Lehigh goalkeeper Maddie Kahn.

Seahawks Claim NEC Recognition…

• The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced on Wednesday its annual field hockey award winners for the 2021 fall season with three members of the Wagner College program receiving All-Conference honors.
• Freshman defender Liselotte Koop earned First-Team all-league honors along with Rookie of the Year. Midfielder Julia Cruces Pastorino took home First Team honors and senior midfielder/forward Agustina Deharbe was tabbed to the All-NEC Second Team.
• Koop's Rookie of the Year honor marks the first time in the three-year existence of the program that a Seahawk has been named to an individual award. In addition to the individual award selection, this is the first time that a member of the program has been selected to an individual award and a team honor in the same season.
• In her first season on Grymes Hill, Koop started all 18 games while leading the team in minutes (1,075), while dishing out a tied for the team lead nine assists. The three-time NEC Rookie of the Week was second on the squad with eight goals. The Hattam, Netherlands native ranks second all-time in program history in assists and third in goals.
• Julia Cruces Pastorino was named to an All-NEC Team for the second season in a row. After being selected to the Second Team last season, the Buenos Aires, Argentina native was named to the First Team this season. The two-time NEC Offensive Player of the Week finished the regular season atop the NEC in goals (14), points (36), points per game (2.00) and goals per game. She also sits atop the Wagner field hockey record book in points (38), goals (15), and is third in assists behind fellow All-NEC selections Liselotte Koop and Agustina Deharbe.
• Agustina Deharbe garnered All-NEC recognition for the second season in a row. Last season she was selected to the First Team and followed up her performance with a Second Team selection this season. The senior finished the regular season tied for second in the NEC in assists (9), fifth in points (23) and points per game (1.28). The Buenos Aires, Argentina native ranks first all time in assists (11), second in points (29) and goals (9).

About The Tournament…

• Wagner College will host the Northeast Conference (NEC) field hockey tournament for the second time in three years this weekend.
• In their third season of NEC competition, the Seahawks have qualified for the NEC Tournament for the first time after finishing the regular season with a 5-2 conference mark.
• The no. 1 seed Fairfield will take on no. 4 Rider on Friday, November 5 at 11:00 A.M. to open the tournament while no. 2 Wagner will battle no. 3 LIU at 2:00 P.M.
• The winner of these contests will square off in the NEC Championship game on Sunday, November 7 at 12:00 P.M. The winner of the NEC Tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting The Opponent…

• LIU enters the NEC Tournament with a 7-10 overall record and a 4-2 record in conference play.
• This is the third season in a row the Sharks will participate in the tournament as they fell to Rider in the NEC Championship last season.
• The Sharks saw three members of their team receive All-NEC Honors this season. Graduate student Sammy Bell, junior Felicia King, and graduate student received Second Team honors.
• LIU defeated Wagner 2-1 back on Friday, October 8.