NECC Womens' Soccer Championship Field set for Tournament
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lesley Earns No. 1 Seed in 2019 NECC Women's Soccer Championship
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Defending champions Lesley University finished the season at 6-1-0 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) regular season play to earn the top spot in the 2019 NECC Women's Soccer Championship. The Lynx defense, led by goalkeeper Brittley Gaan's (Bellevue, Wash.) 1.26 goals-against average, allowed only 17 goals this season. Lesley's offense is tops in the league, scoring 52 goals, 31 of which came in conference play. The balanced attack is led by Claire Hounslow (Westborough, Mass.) who has netted a team-high seven goals. The Lynx have earned a first round bye, and will await the winner of the matchup between No. 4 Becker College and No. 5 Eastern Nazarene College.
Elms College has secured the No. 2 seed, and a first-round bye, finishing at 5-1-1 in regular season play. Elms beat out New England College, who also finished with a 5-1-1 mark, via tiebreaker, as the Blazers handed Lesley their lone conference loss. Elms has had stellar defensive play, allowing only four goals in conference play, which is tops in the league. Rebecca Molin (West Hartford, Conn.) has been a force in goal, leading the league in save percentage (.844) and goals-against average (1.02). Elms will host the winner of the match-up between No. 3 New England College and No. 6 Bay Path University.
The third seeded New England College has relied on strong defensive play, allowing only seven conference goals. Goalkeeper Allie Stoddart (Charlestown, N.H.) is third in the league in saves, with 95. NEC will host its first round game on Saturday, November 2, taking on the sixth seeded Bay Path. The Wildcats finished in a three-way tie for fifth place with Eastern Nazarene and Dean College at 2-5-0, and were awarded the final spot in the postseason based on a series of tiebreakers. The Wildcats will pressure the Pilgrims with one of the league's top scorers, Joanna Feliciano (Springfield, Mass.), whose 16 goals is second in the league.
The fourth seed goes to Becker, who finished with a 5-2-0 record. The Hawks boast the league's top offensive threat in Kyra Teixeira (Old Lyme, Conn.), who has scored 18 goals this season. No. 4 Becker will face-off against Eastern Nazarene, who earned the fifth seed based on the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. The Lions are paced by Diamond Best's (Danvers, Mass.) five goals.
The winners of the two semifinal games on Wednesday, November 6 will face-off in the NECC title game on Saturday, November 9.
Seeds:
- Lesley
- Elms
- New England Col.
- Becker
- Eastern Nazarene
- Bay Path
Saturday, November 2 - First Round
GAME 1: No. 6 Bay Path University at No. 3 New England College - TBA
GAME 2: No. 5 Eastern Nazarene College at No. 4 Becker College- 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 6 - Semifinals
GAME 3: Winner of Game 2 at No. 1 Lesley University- TBA
GAME 4 Winner of Game 1 at No. 2 Elms College- TBA
Saturday, November 9 - Finals (Hosted by Highest Remaining Seed)
GAME 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4- TBD
ABOUT THE NECC
The NECC began competition in the 2008-09 academic year and current member institutions compete across 15 sports. The NECC membership focuses on providing athletic competition among institutions that share similar academic aspirations and are committed to the importance of the total educational experience for students engaged in sports. Current members include Bay Path University, Becker College, Dean College, Eastern Nazarene College, Elms College, Lesley University, Mitchell College and New England College.
