STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner women's soccer team, coming off its first NEC championship, enters the 2026 season under first-year head coach Fred King and will kick off tomorrow against non-conference opponent Rider at 7 p.m. on Hameline Field.

The Roster

King inherits 20 returners from the 2025 championship team, which finished 11-3-6 overall and 8-1-2 in NEC play, including four All-NEC performers: junior defender Hailey Knapp, senior midfielder Alana Goldsmith, sophomore forward Riley Frederick and junior goalkeeper Abigail Marcello. Knapp started all 22 matches on the defensive end and earned an NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor during the season. Goldsmith netted five goals and 14 points in 2025, while Marcello posted an 8-2-2 record in goal with five shutouts. Frederick was named NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring the golden goal in the 104th minute against CCSU to win Wagner its first NEC Championship. 

Along with its four returning All-NEC selections, the Seahawks bring back several key contributors, including senior Caroline Kessler and juniors Deirdre Meberg, Alana Arjona and Kelly Gallagher.

The Green & White will also welcome nine freshmen to the program for the 2026 season.

Team Captains

The 2026 team captains are senior midfielders Alana Goldsmith and Caroline Kessler and junior Deirdre Meberg.

Goldsmith enters her second season as a team captain after helping lead Wagner to its first NEC Championship last season. The senior midfielder earned Second Team All-NEC honors after recording five goals and four assists while starting all 19 games she appeared in.

Kessler provides additional experience in the midfield and earned CSC Academic All-District honors following the 2025 season. She also assisted on Meberg's game-tying goal in the NEC Championship victory over CCSU.

Meberg enters her junior season after making an impact throughout Wagner's 2025 title run. She scored four goals, including the equalizer in the NEC Championship game, before assisting Riley Frederick's game-winning goal in double overtime.

At the Helm

Head coach Fred King arrives on Grymes Hill after spending the previous four seasons as the associate head coach at Penn. His coaching career also includes stops at Saint Joseph's, Rutgers, Harvard and Tufts.

Assistant coach Elliot McPhelim joins the staff after spending the previous three seasons at Saint Peter's. His coaching career also includes a stop at Bloomfield College and experience with SFL Club in Roseland, New Jersey.

Assistant coach Homere Breton brings more than 25 years of coaching, training and player development experience. His coaching background includes extensive work with the New Jersey Olympic Development Program and US Youth Soccer East Region.

Preseason Noise

The Seahawks were selected third in the 2026 NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive season, receiving four first-place votes. FDU topped the poll with seven first-place votes, followed by CCSU in second and Wagner in third.

The Schedule

Wagner opens its season at home against Rider on Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Hameline Field before hosting Monmouth on Sunday, August 16. The Seahawks then travel to face Manhattan on Sunday, August 23, followed by a road matchup at Lafayette on Sunday, August 30.

Wagner will then travel to NJIT on Thursday, September 3, UMBC on Sunday, September 6, Seton Hall on Thursday, September 10 and Saint Joseph's on Sunday, September 13.

NEC play begins at home on Sunday, September 20, when the Seahawks welcome CCSU to Hameline Field in a rematch of last season's NEC Championship game. Wagner then hosts Howard on Sunday, September 27.

The Seahawks open October on the road against New Haven on Thursday, October 1 before returning home to face Stonehill. Wagner then begins a four-game road stretch with matchups against LIU, FDU, Chicago State and Mercyhurst.

Wagner returns home to close out the regular season with matchups against Le Moyne on Sunday, November 1, and Delaware State on Sunday, November 8.

The 2026 NEC Tournament will feature the top four teams in the standings, with each round hosted by the highest remaining seed. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, followed by the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 15, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

About Rider

The Broncs enter the 2026 season coming off a rebuilding year in the Metro, formerly known as the MAAC, and return to Hameline Field for the first time since 2024 with a mix of returning experience and newcomers.