Staten Island, NY - The top-seeded Wagner College field hockey team will look to capture its first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Championship as the Seahawks will face-off against the Fairfield Stags for the crown on Saturday, November 9 at noon.
Â
How We Got Here
Most recently, the Green & White advanced to the Championship game against the fourth-seeded LIU Sharks, 2-1 in overtime, on Friday, November 7.
Against the Sharks, sophomore Charlotte Müller scored the equalizer in the second quarter as freshman Romy Matthies found the back of the cage seven minutes into overtime to keep Wagner's season afloat.Â
In conference action, the Seahawks took down the Merrimack Warriors by a score of 3-0 on Friday, October 25. The Green & White won three consecutive overtime games on Grymes Hill between Friday, October 11 and Sunday, October 20 to place themselves in the hunt for the regular season crown. Wagner defeated Sacred Heart, Stonehill, and Saint Francis U in that span.
The Seahawks shutout LIU and Mercyhurst to begin conference action.
Â
Conference Recognition
Four different Seahawks earned five Offensive Player of the Week honors during the 2024 campaign. Graduate student Cami Valor, senior Emma Lofstedt, sophomore Charlotte Muller, and sophomore Floortje Leunisse twice have been named the conference's most valuable offensive player during that week.
The last Seahawk who has earned the NEC Offensive Player of the Week honor was Jules Cruces Pastorino, who earned the distinction four times during the 2022 season.
In net, freshman goalkeeper Saar van Dalen was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week four separate times and Rookie of the Week twice.
No Seahawks has ever been awarded both the Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week before van Dalen. Only Daisy Ruhle has been named the other Seahawks who has received a Defensive Player of the Week nod, as Ruhle earned four honors across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.Â
The most recent Rookie of the Week who has worn the green and white was Liselotte Koop back on October 25, 2021.
On Wednesday, the NEC released its major end-of-year awards along with its All-NEC first and second teams. Freshman goalkeeper Saar van Dalen headlined the release by earning the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Seahawks to receive the distinction in the program's history.
Additionally, graduate student Cami Valor and sophomore Charlotte Müller were named All-NEC First Team members as junior Pilar Lorenzini was tabbed to the second team. Â
Â
Scouting Fairfield
The Stags come into the title match as the third seed, taking down the second-seeded Rider Broncs by a score of 2-1 on Friday.Â
Fairfield handed Wagner its only conference loss of the year back on October 4 as the Stags scored three goals to the Seahawks' one when the two teams met in Connecticut.
In that October 4 matchup, both teams took 12 shots with Fairfield putting nine on target to Wagner's four. Fairfield's Alex Senior scored twice after Pilar Mengotti scored the opening goal.Â
Sophomore Floortje Leunisse scored the Seahawks' lone goal in the game.
Wagner's all-time record against Fairfield sit at 2-5.
Â
Interim No More
On October 23, head coach Aubrey Mytych had her interim tag lifted as she was named the permanent head coach for the Wagner College Seahawks.Â
Mytych has set new program record's for conference wins in one season (7), most shutouts in one season (5), and consecutive shutouts (4) across the seven-year program history.
Compared to last year, the Seahawks have seen jumps in goals scored (17), shots per game (3.5), shot on goal percentage (8.7%), assists (11) and ten less saves needed to secure a 7-1 conference mark.
Â
Wagner In The NEC Tournament
For the fourth straight season, Wagner will compete in the Northeast Conference's Postseason Tournament.
The Seahawks will contend in the NEC Tournament Championship for the second time in as many seasons, and for the second time in the program's seven-year history.
At the year's tournament, the Seahawks claimed the fourth-seed with a 4-3 conference record and took down the top-seeded Fairfield Stags in the semifinal round. In the title match, the Seahawks fell to Sacred Heart who claimed its first title in school history.
Wagner earned the two-seed in both the 2021 and 2022 postseason tournaments. In 2022, the Seahawks were bested by three-seeded Fairfield by a score of 2-1 in the semifinal round. The previous season, Wagner dropped its semifinal round against LIU by a score of 2-0.Â
The winner of the NEC Tournament will stamp their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24 at the Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Complex in Ann Arbor, MI.
Â
