#NECPollWeek: Aiming To Reclaim Crown, CCSU Edges SHU In NEC Women's Soccer Poll - Northeast Conference Skip To Main Content
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#NECPollWeek: Aiming To Reclaim Crown, CCSU Edges SHU In NEC Women's Soccer Poll

8/8/2023


2023 Northeast Conference
Women's Soccer
Preseason Coaches Poll
 
               1. CCSU (5)
               2. Sacred Heart (4)
               3. FDU (2)
               4. Merrimack
               5. Saint Francis U
               6. Wagner
               7. Howard
               8. Stonehill
               9. LIU
               10. Le Moyne
               11. Delaware St.

               First place votes in parentheses
Bridgewater, NJ -- After seeing it's four-year reign come to an end last season, Central Connecticut is on a mission to return the Northeast Conference (NEC) women's soccer trophy to New Britain. 

The journey to this title will undoubtedly be challenging, with numerous teams poised to challenge the Blue Devils in their pursuit of a 13th NEC crown.

CCSU received five of the possible ten first place votes in the annual preseason coaches poll as the Blue Devils seek their fifth NEC title in the past six seasons.
 
Sacred Heart was voted second and collected four first place nods while 2022 NEC Tournament champion FDU was selected to finish third and picked up two first place votes. Merrimack rounded out the top four teams. Saint Francis U came in fifth, while Wagner landed in sixth and Howard was picked seventh. Stonehill (eighth), LIU (ninth), Le Moyne (10th) and Delaware State (11th) filled the remaining four spots in the poll.
 
CCSU head coach Mick D’Arcy has led the Blue Devils to ten regular season conference titles, including five straight, along with ten tournament titles and has compiled a 37-3-3 conference record over the past five seasons.
 
While the Blue Devils lost four All-NEC first teamers - including all-time great Roma McLaughlin, a four-time NEC Midfielder of the Year - they return both of their All-NEC second team honorees in junior striker Aoife Horgan (Kerry, Ireland/St. Joseph’s Secondary School) and senior goalkeeper Caitlin Murphy (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug). Horgan ranked third in the league last season in assists (4) and assists per game (0.25). She also finished in the top-10 in the conference for both points (12) and points per game (0.75). In goal, Murphy returns as one of the top keepers in the league after finishing in the top-five in goals-against average (1.09), save percentage (.786), shutouts (7) and shutouts per game (0.41) in 2022. CCSU also brings back sophomore defender Kiley Yepes (West Hartford, CT/Conrad), an All-Rookie selection as a freshman. Yepes started 17 games last season and totaled three assists while helping anchor a stingy defense that conceded just three goals in nine league outings.
 
The rising Sacred Heart program has posted back-to-back third-place finishes and reached the NEC final last fall for the first time since the 2007 season. The Pioneers return 2022 NEC Rookie of the Year Morgan Bovardi (Boxford, MA/Masconomet), a scintillating forward who ranked second on the circuit with nine goals and 20 points.

Defending NEC Tournament champion FDU is coming off its fourth title game appearance in six seasons. It had been 21 years since a No. 4 seed had captured NEC women’s soccer glory, but the Knights pulled it off last season, defeating SHU in PKs to capture their first conference championship since 2015. The Knights come back with a strong young core with three All-Rookie Team members from last season in midfielder Emma Moe (Baerum, Norway/Norges Toppidrettsgymnas Baerum), defender Mona Schlegl (Marburg, Hessia, Germany/Martin-Luther School) and midfielder Katie Ward (Birmingham, England/Plantsbrook).
 
In its first season being eligible to qualify for the NEC Tournament, Merrimack finished second in the league and earned a spot in the NEC semifinals. The Warriors are led by reigning NEC Coach of the Year Gabe Mejail as he returns for his 40th season after earning his 500th career victory last fall. Mejail will have the luxury of penciling three-time All-NEC defender Abigail Cieri (Matawan, NJSaint John Vianney) into his lineup. Merrimack is eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season.
 
First-year NEC member Le Moyne will make its conference debut on September 17 against Howard.

The NEC Presidents' Council unanimously voted to eliminate access restrictions to NEC championships during an institution's transition to DI. Consequently, current reclassifying institutions Le Moyne and Stonehill are now eligible to compete in the NEC postseason.
 
Six teams will qualify for the 2023 NEC Women’s Soccer Tournament with the top two seeds receiving a first round bye. First round matches will take place October 29, followed by the semifinals on November 2 and the title match on November 5. All matches will be hosted by the higher seed.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.