2025 Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll          1. LIU (unanimous)          2. Stonehill          3. Le Moyne          4. Wagner          5. Saint Francis U          6. FDU          7. CCSU          8. Delaware St.          9. Mercyhurst          10. Howard          First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ — It’s a feat that has been accomplished nine times by seven different schools in the 26-year history of Northeast Conference (NEC) women’s lacrosse, but never by LIU during its longtime residency in the league. 

Raising an NEC Tournament championship banner in the rafters for the first time ever in 2024, LIU enters the 2025 campaign hungry to repeat and host another end-of-the-year ceremony in Brooklyn, and according to the NEC’s head coaches, the Sharks are poised to turn the trick once again this upcoming season.

Hauling in each of the nine possible first-place votes in the NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the pendulum is swinging towards an LIU repeat as league champs in 2025.

The next four squads in the 10-team preseason poll all qualified for the NEC Tournament a year ago. 
 
Stonehill, which earned the program’s first-ever tournament victory as an NEC member and punched a ticket to the semifinals in its postseason debut a year ago, was slotted for a second-place finish by the league’s head coaches. The Skyhawks were followed by a Le Moyne squad that made a splash in its inaugural campaign as a member of the conference with an 8-2 record against league competitors and a first round appearance as the No. 3 seed in the NEC Tournament.

Fresh off its 10th consecutive postseason appearance, Wagner took fourth in the projected order-of-finish, while an emerging Saint Francis U program that has clinched spots in back-to-back NEC Tournaments rounded out the top five. 
 
In its third season as a Division I program, FDU was picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll. Central Connecticut and Delaware State landed the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, followed by NEC newcomer Mercyhurst in ninth and Howard in 10th.
 
The Sharks have several key pieces in place to turn the trick and hoist the trophy for a second-straight time in 2025. Head coach Meghan McNamara-Cafiero, who enters her 18th season at the helm of LIU, will lean on an experienced offensive unit that features three of the team’s top four scorers from last season’s squad. 
 
Highlighting that group is junior Julia Trainor (Billerica, MA/Billerica Memorial), a jack-of-all trades midfielder who led the Sharks’ attack with 22 assists and 56 points. The stealthy goal scorer took care of business on the other end of the turf as well, as she paced LIU in ground balls (28) and ranked among the NEC’s top five in caused turnovers (29 – 3rd in NEC), caused turnovers per game (1.53 – 4th in NEC), draw controls (85 – t-3rd in NEC) and draw controls per game (4.47 – 5th).
 
One of the league’s top backstops in senior Mylie Norton (Edgewater, MD/South River) also returns to the turf for the Sharks looking to add more bling to her ring finger. The veteran netminder hit her stride during conference play, limiting competitors to just 6.03 goals per contest while posting a .560 save percentage to lead all players in both categories. Norton, who was named to the All-NEC second team, was even more impressive during LIU’s title run, as she pocketed the NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player award after she limited offensive powers Stonehill and Sacred Heart to just seven goals apiece in the semifinals and title game, respectively.
 
Stonehill’s potent offense will be missing two key contributors in 2025 with the graduation of reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year Molly Mae Hughes (56 goals, 28 assists) and defending NEC Midfielder of the Year Lilly Leach (50 goals, 6 assists). But 18th-year head coach Katie Conover has several tricks up her sleeve. Returning from last year’s squad — which boasted the league’s top offense by a long shot with 14.39 scores per game — are three of the Skyhawks’ top six producers in points, including junior Grace Murphy (Kearsarge, NH/Holderness School), an All-NEC second team attacker who netted a team-leading 57 goals.
 
The 2025 campaign will be a rebuilding one for sixth-year head coach Liz Beville and her Dolphins. One area that won’t be lacking in experience, though, is Le Moyne’s back line, which brings back senior defender Katherine Amico (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), sophomore midfielder Maddi Barney (Lorraine, NY/South Jefferson) and senior defender Grace Brinza (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy), a group that combined to cause 35 turnovers last season.  
 
Defense has been Wagner’s calling card in recent years, but this season, fourth-year head coach Kelly McPartland has a strong returning offensive unit to turn to as the Seahawks look to return to the top of the NEC rankings for the first time since 2019. In addition to senior Ella Marino (Oreland, PA/Springfield Township) and classmate Sophia Colver (Allen, TX/Allen), who combined to score 43 goals a year ago, the Seahawks welcome back midfielder Katie Siverson (Morristown, NJ/Morristown). The senior appeared in just one game for Wagner in 2024, but in her last full season in 2023, the All-NEC second teamer finished second on the team with 28 goals.    
 
The top four teams in the conference rankings at the conclusion of the nine-game regular-season league slate will qualify for the NEC Championship. The single-elimination tournament will take place on May 1 and May 3 at the site of the highest overall seed. 
 
Starting in 2026-27, Mercyhurst will be eligible to compete in the NEC postseason. If Le Moyne or Stonehill, both reclassifying institutions, wins the NEC Tournament championship, the runner-up will advance to the NEC Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier, per current policy.

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.