Bridgewater, NJ -- The winningest program in NEC field hockey history scored big, adding a fresh haul of individual honors to its growing collection.

As voted on by the league’s head coaches, Rider walked away with four of the six major awards. Saint Francis U and NEC regular season champion Wagner each claimed one individual accolade apiece.

This marked the second time Rider has claimed four major honors, matching the Broncs' 2022 showing and coming just one shy of the league record set by Fairfield last season.

Rider’s Olivia Machiavelli (Madrid, Spain/International Sek School el Castillo) became the second player in league history to take home both NEC Offensive Player of the Year and NEC Rookie of the Year in the same season. Fairfield's Lucie Vincent did so in 2023. 

Rider senior Lyric Scott (Union, NJ/Union) added another accolade to her resumé as she was selected as the NEC Midfielder of the Year in the award’s second year of existence. The Broncs’ picked up another honor as second-year head coach Alicia Govannicci and her assistants earned the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year award.

Securing the NEC Defensive Player of the Year distinction was Saint Francis U junior Madison Waldspurger (Hatfield, PA/North Penn).

Another rookie who made a splash this season was Wagner’s Saar van Dalen (Houten, Netherlands/Cals College Nieuwegein), who garnered the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year accolade. She became the fist freshman in conference annals to win the award.

Machiavelli took the league by storm in her freshman campaign as the Madrid, Spain product logged an NEC-best 14 regular season goals and racked up the most points in the conference with 32 as she tacked on four assists. Three of her scores were game-winners, which is tied for the second-most in the NEC. The freshman forward claimed a league-best five NEC Rookie of the Week selections and was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week once. Machiavellii is currently the nation's second-leading freshman goal scorer (0.78/gm) and third-leading freshman point producer (1.78/gm), and ranks in the top-20 overall nationally in both categories. She became the sixth Rider player to earn the NEC Offensive Player of the Year award and the fourth in the past six years, following a historic run by NEC all-time great Julia Divorra, who won the honor three consecutive times (2019, 2020-21 and 2022).. Machiavelli is also the ninth Bronc to be selected NEC Rookie of the Year and first since Indy Zoontjens in 2022.

After an All-NEC second team campaign in 2023, Waldspurger took her game to a whole new level this fall. The junior defender anchored the back line for a Red Flash defense that allowed only 33 goals during a 10-8 campaign. The Red Flash posted a 1.83 GAA during the regular season, which ranks third in the NEC. A four-time NEC Prime Performer, Waldspurger made defensive saves in two SFU wins. She also helped fuel the Red Flash attack, amassing 19 points on seven goals and five assists. The two-time All-Conference defender now stands as the second SFU player to win NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining Carissa Makea, who earned the distinction in 2012.

Scott, now a three-time All-NEC selection, proved to be an impactful two-way force for the Broncs this season. The senior midfielder found the back of the cage four times and dished out four assists for 12 points, including a game winner in the Broncs' 3-0 win at Sacred Heart on October 20. Scott also contributed to Rider's five shutouts, which is tied for a conference best. She was a second team selection in 2022, and has now collected first team plaudits in each of the last two years.

A four-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week and two-time NEC Rookie of the Week, van Dalen was a brick wall for the Seahawks on their march to the NEC regular season crown. The Dutch defender set a Wagner program record with a 1.43 GAA this season, which also paces the NEC. Additionally, she has posted the second-best save percentage (.762) and is tied for the NEC lead with four solo shutouts. She enters the postseason with 80 saves and an 11-6 record in net. van Dalen also established a program mark with four consecutive shutouts in September. The freshman made history as the first Seahawk to win the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year award.

In her second season at the helm, Govannicci directed Rider to a 10-8 overall mark and 6-2 record in NEC play for a second place finish in the conference standings. It was a significant turnaround for the perennial NEC power, which had missed the postseason the year prior for the first time in 24 seasons. Rider has scored the most goals in the league (50) and leads the conference in goals per game (2.79). The Broncs are also tied atop the NEC leaderboard in points (132) and points per game (7.33). On the defensive side, Rider has posted five shutouts to tie for first on the circuit. This marked Rider's sixth NEC Coaching Staff of the Year award, and the first under Govannicci and her staff.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

Fairfield led all programs with five All-NEC selections, while Rider and Wagner had four players apiece named to All-Conference teams. LIU and Saint Francis U each netted three selections, while Stonehill had two and Sacred Heart claimed one All-Conference accolade.

Four of the five Stags tabbed to the All-Conference teams were repeat honorees. Senior midfielder Madison Milhous (Villanova, PA/Radnor), the 2023 NEC Defensive Player of the Year, earned her third consecutive All-NEC honor, adding back-to-back All-NEC second team selections to her body of work. Junior forward Alex Senior (Marlton, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) and senior midfielder Agustina Casteluchi (Salta, Argentina), who were both first team selections a year ago for the Stage, were named to the All-NEC second team in 2024. Casteluchi was the 2023 NEC Midfielder of the Year. Sophomore midfielder Catalina Ness (Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Christaneum) made the jump from a second team nod in 2023 to a first team honor this season.

Joining her teammates Olivia Machiavelli and Lyric Scott on the All-Conference first team was Rider forward Valeria Perales (Madrid, Spain/IES Mirasierra). Perales made it a third straight All-NEC first team selection after a junior season that saw her score 10 goals and post an NEC-best 2.0 points per game.

Wagner sophomore midfielder Charlotte Müller (Bremen, Germany/Kippenberg Gymnasium) upgraded her 2023 second team selection for a first team spot in 2024 for the NEC regular season champs. Muller, who ranks in the NEC top-10 in goals (eight), assists (six) and points (22), joined Saar van Dalen on the first team squad.

Decorated LIU senior defender Eva Valentini (Junín, Argentina/Colegio Marianista), a four-time All-Conference selection, earned her third career first-team honor in her debut season with the Sharks. Valentini previously garnered All-Conference distinctions in each of her three seasons at Saint Francis U.

Alongside teammate Madison Waldspurger’s All-NEC first-team honor, SFU senior midfielder Dolores Zavaleta (Chascomús, Argentina/Corazón de María Chascomús) made the jump from the second team in 2023 to the first team this season, following an impressive year in Loretto.

Stonehill sophomore forward Tyra Stark (Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Rissen) has now received second team laurels in back-to-back seasons.

Junior defender Emma Brayford (Breiningsville, PA/Parkland High School) was the lone All-Conference selection for defending NEC champion Sacred Heart. She was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team in 2023.
  
About The Northeast Conference

Now in its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, 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.