STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The No. 2 seed Wagner College women's soccer team will host its second consecutive NEC Semifinal on Thursday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. against No. 3 seed Howard, the defending conference champion. The match will take place on Hameline Field and stream live on NEC Front Row with Gary Eldelyi on the call.
NEC Tournament Format
The top four teams in the NEC standings qualified for the 2025 NEC Tournament. Semifinal action begins Thursday with No. 1 seed FDU hosting No. 4 seed CCSU at 4:00 p.m. in Teaneck, N.J., followed by Wagner's matchup with Howard at 7:00 p.m. The two winners will advance to Sunday's NEC Championship, hosted by the higher remaining seed.
Wagner in the NEC Tournament
This marks Wagner's fifth all-time NEC Tournament appearance and third consecutive trip. The Seahawks hold a 2–4 record in postseason play. Last season, Wagner also entered as the No. 2 seed and fell to No. 3 FDU, 3–0, in the semifinals.
Scouting the Bison
Howard enters Thursday's contest with a 9–6–3 overall record and a 7–2–2 mark in NEC play. The Bison are coming off a 2–0 loss to FDU on November 2. Sophomore forward Gabriella Garcia-Terrell leads the attack and was named to the All-NEC First Team after scoring nine goals this season, ranking second in the conference. Last fall, Howard captured the NEC title as the No. 1 seed, defeating Stonehill, 2–1, in the semifinals and FDU, 2–1, in the final.
Series History
Thursday's matchup marks the 10th all-time meeting between Wagner and Howard in a series that dates back to 2010. The teams are even with three wins apiece and two draws. Earlier this season, Howard earned a 2–1 win over the Seahawks on September 25 at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Last Time Out
The Seahawks closed the regular season with a 3–0 victory over LIU on November 2, marking a program-record eighth conference win.
Five Seahawks Earn All-NEC Honors
Five Seahawks earned All-NEC recognition, led by sophomore defender Hailey Knapp, who was named to the First Team. Senior Izzy Gomez and junior Alana Goldsmith earned Second-Team honors, while freshmen Riley Frederick and Abigail Marcello were selected to the All-Rookie Team.
Knapp anchored a defensive unit that recorded nine shutouts and allowed an NEC-low 14 goals. She also contributed offensively, scoring a game-winner against Rider and adding assists versus CCSU and Stonehill.
Gomez appeared in 14 games, starting 13, and tallied seven goals and one assist—ranking fourth in the NEC in goals scored. She was named NEC Player of the Week twice this season.
Goldsmith finished with four goals and four assists across 16 games, ranking eighth in the NEC in assists and logging two game-winners while finishing fourth on the team in minutes (1,232).
Frederick emerged late in the season with goals in each of Wagner's final two matches and finished with three goals and three assists over 15 appearances.
Marcello recorded six shutouts in 10 appearances, allowing just seven goals and posting the lowest goals-against average (.792) in the NEC. She earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week and Prime Performer honors during the season.
This marks the second consecutive year Wagner has placed multiple players on the All-Rookie Team.
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's semifinal will advance to Sunday's NEC Championship against the winner of No. 1 FDU and No. 4 CCSU, hosted by the higher remaining seed.
