Staten Island, NY - The No.2 seed Wagner women's soccer team will host its first ever Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Semifinal game this Thursday November 7 at 7PM against No.3 FDU. This match will take place at Hameline Field and will be streamed live on NEC Front Row.

NEC Tournament Format

The Top-4 teams in the NEC standings qualified to the NEC Tournament. The semifinal round will begin with the No.1 seed Howard University hosting the No.4 seed Stonehill College on Thursday at 12PM in Washington, DC followed by Wagner's game at 7PM. The winners of the semifinal round will advance to the NEC Tournament Championship on Sunday November 10 at the higher seeds field.

Wagner In The NEC Tournament

Wagner is 2-3 all time in the NEC Tournament. This marks the Seahawks fourth NEC Tournament appearance and the first consecutive in program history. Last season, the Seahawks entered the tournament as the No.6 seed before knocking off No.3 FDU 3-0 in the opening round and then defeating No.1 Merrimack in the semifinal on penalty shots. The Green & White advanced to the NEC Championship but fell to CCSU on penalty shots..

Scouting The Knights

FDU is 7-5-6 overall and 7-2-1 in conference play. The Knights are coming off a 3-0 victory over Le Moyne on October 31. Sophomore Ana Salas leads the Knights and ranks tied for third in total goals with five. Salas, sophomore Lauren Pyle, and juniors Andrea Ougaard and Mono Schlegl were all named to the All-NEC First Team this season. Freshman goalkeeper Rosemarie Leblanc is second in the conference in shutouts with seven. 

The Series With FDU

In the teams overall series which dates back to 2005, the Knights lead 13-5-3. In one matchup this season, the Knights defeated the Seahawks 3-2 on September 29 at University Stadium in Teaneck, N.J. Last season Wagner defeated FDU in the NEC Tournament Opening Round 0-3.

Last Time Out

The Wagner women's soccer team wrapped up regular season play with a 1-0 victory over LIU on October 31. The win added to the Green & White's program record seven conference wins. Freshman Alana Arjona gave Wagner the win with a goal in the 81st minute.

Fresh Faces

The freshmen quartet of Deidre Meberg, Anayah Rivera, Alana Arjona and Anna Shepard lead the NEC in total goals by freshmen with 10. Freshman defender Hailey Knapp has started every game of the season for the Seahawks and has completed 17 full 90 minute contests. 

Steady Veterans

Graduate student Kayla Barbosa, seniors Olivia Rubbo, Claire Janis, Kylie McNally, Sam Hughes and junior Izzy Gomez have all been consistent leaders for this Seahawks squad. Hughes ranks number one in the NEC in total shutouts while Gomez, the Uconn transfer, is tied for fourth in total goals with four. 

Casella's FDU Connection

Wagner's Head Coach Phil Casella graduated from FDU in 1997 and spent six seasons as an assistant coach from 2000-2005. Casella helped the Knights to a 7-2-1 NEC record in 2002 before winning the 2003 ECAC Championship with an undefeated 6-0-3 regular-season record. Under Casella, the Knights also reached the NEC semifinals in 2002, the program's third season of NCAA play.

Five Seahawks Earn NEC Postseason Honors

Graduate student defender Kayla Barbosa was awarded first team honors while senior goalkeeper Sam Hughes was named to the second team and the freshman trio of Deirdre Meberg, Hailey Knapp and Alana Arjona were named to the all rookie team.

Barbosa received her second first team selection this year after being one of the league's top defenders all season long. After missing the first 5 games of the season, the Hackettstown, NJ native appeared in the final 13 games of the season for the Seahawks. 

The veteran defender was an integral part of the Seahawks defense, contributing to seven shutouts including five consecutive shutouts to end the regular season. Barbosa tacked on two goals this season, the first being the game winner in a 2-1 victory against Chicago State and the second in a 2-0 victory against Mercyhurst.

Sam Hughes received All-NEC Second Team honors after holding nine shutouts this season and not missing a single second of conference action. Hughes was the catalyst for a defensive that allowed only five goals in conference play and only two goals in seven games in the month of October. Hughes' tally of nine shutouts on the season rank tied for fourth in NCAA D1 women's soccer. The Pottstown, PA native tallied 72 saves this season and moved up to No.2 all time in Seahawks history in total saves. The senior goalkeeper was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.

Freshman midfielder Deirdre Meberg, defender Hailey Knapp and forward Alana Arjona all earned All-NEC Rookie Team selections. Meberg started in 8 of the Seahawks 10 conference games while tallying three goals along the way. Knapp was a constant force for the Seahawks backline all season, starting in all 18 contests and not missing a second of conference play. The Brampton, Ontario native helped contribute to a league high nine shutouts. Arjona, a Upper Saddle River, NJ native, logged 707 minutes for the Green & White while tacking on three goals on the season including two game-winners. The first in a 1-0 victory against SFU and the other coming in a 1-0 victory over LIU. 

Next Up

The winner of Thursday's matchup advanced to the NEC Championship game on Sunday against the winner of Howard and Stonehill at the higher seeds field.