LE MOYNE (9-8, 8-2) vs. Wagner College (5-10, 5-5)
Sunday, Apr. 28 - 12:00 p.m.
Ted Grant Field - Syracuse, N.Y.
Video: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/wlax/summary
 
Syracuse, N.Y. – The #3 seed Le Moyne women's lacrosse team looks to advance in its first-ever Northeast Conference Championships when it hosts sixth-seeded Wagner College on Sunday afternoon. Le Moyne clinched the three seed after winning its last four NEC contests. Wagner won its last matchup of the regular season against Delaware State on April 24 to jump to the #6 seed.
 
Le Moyne downed Wagner 10-7 on April 13 in the two's only meeting of the year. Le Moyne scored three consecutive goals in the fourth quarter to take and pad its lead. The Dolphins were successful on all but one of their clear attempts. On the other side, just three different Wagner players scored in the game. That was despite the fact that the Seahawks had more shots, shots on goal and less turnovers.
 
Wagner went 2-3 in its last five games, all of which were NEC matchups. The Seahawks downed FDU on April 10 and Delaware State during the stretch. Wagner's three losses came against Stonehill, Le Moyne and Sacred Heart. Overall, the Seahawks were an even 5-5 in conference. Wagner began its NEC schedule at 2-0, but struggled to keep that positive record down the stretch. The Seahawks are 3-4 on the road in 2024.
 
Wagner ranked in the middle of the pack for goals in the NEC, scoring 155 times. They rank in a similar spot for goals against and average just under two goals per game less than their opponents. The Seahawks excelled on draw controls in the regular season, ranking third in the conference with 203. Le Moyne won just 157 draws this season despite playing two more games.
 
Wagner is led on offense by senior midfielder Kelsey Scheidel. She led the team with 30 goals in the regular season and placed third with 11 assists. Scheidel was strong from free-position opportunities, converting six times. Scheidel scored in double figures on nine separate occasions in 2024. She had her best game of the year against Howard on March 30, notching six goals and two assists. She also tops the Seahawks with 31 ground balls. In the first matchup against Le Moyne, she scored once on six shots.
 
Graduate attacker Megan Greco is another option for Wagner. Greco ranks second on the Seahawks with 25 goals. She's scored multiple times in seven of her last eight appearances. Greco found the back of the net four times against Central Connecticut State and Howard respectively. She was shutout earlier in the year against Le Moyne, while tallying a ground ball.
 
Junior midfielder Ella Marino is Wagner's most accomplished distributor. She leads the team with 16 assists and ranks second with 33 total points. Marino has a point in seven straight games and has scored seven goals in her last four appearances. She scored three of her 17 goals against Le Moyne in mid-April. Marino takes most of the Seahawks' free position shots as well, recording 12 goals on opportunities.
 
Goalkeepers Bryn Bockstie and Grace DeCarolis have split time in net this year for Wagner. Bockstie, a junior, leads the two in minutes played and has started 11 contests. She has 66 saves, but allows nearly 14 goals per contest. DeCarolis, a freshman, has a 41.5% save percentage and is 3-3 on the year.
 
Le Moyne enters the matchup off the back of a 13-7 loss to the University at Albany. Overall, the Dolphins went 1-6 outside of the NEC, winning their first game against the University of California on February 15. Le Moyne dominated in conference, though, finishing 8-2. The Dolphins had two separate four-game win streaks in 2024.
 
Senior attacker Sarah Hutchings is Le Moyne's strongest weapon on offense. Hutchings leads the team in goals with 30 and assists with 20. She's scored on more than 50% of her total shots this season. Hutchings has nine multi-score games, including a season-high five goals against Stonehill on March 16. She's a consistent passer as well, recording an assist in eleven separate contests. Hutchings had one of her five hat-tricks in the first meeting against Wagner, scoring three times.
 
Senior midfielder Rhonee Shea Pal has helped the Dolphins as well. She ranks second with 25 goals and converted on exactly 50% of her shots. Pal has scored in all but one game played this season. She found the back of the net once against Wagner two weeks ago.
 
Junior attacker Grace Detor rounds out the Le Moyne players with 20 or more goals. Detor has 23 scores on the season, including five in a win over Howard on April 20. She is yet to record an assist in 2024. In the first matchup with Wagner, she scored once on three shots.
 
Fifth year goaltender Paige Crandall has handled most of the work in net for the Dolphins. Crandall has a 47.1% save percentage. She also allows just over 10 goals a game in her 17 starts. In total, Crandall has 147 saves and played nearly 1,000 minutes in 2024.
 
The game marks Le Moyne's first postseason appearance since re-joining the Division I level this season. During its initial Division I tenure, the Dolphins went 9-2 in conference (MAAC0 tournament action and won four of the six tournaments they appeared in, including each of the last two. The Dolphins went 21-9 in 12 appearances in the NE10 tournament, including three titles.

The winner of Sunday's matchup will advance to the semifinals, which will be hosted by top-seeded Sacred Heart University on Thursday, May 2. If the Dolphins win, they will take on second-seeded LIU at 4:00 p.m. If Wagner wins, the Seahawks will take on Sacred Heart at 1:00 p.m. The championship game will be hosted by Sacred Heart on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. Both semifinal games and the championship game will air on NEC Front Row and ESPN+.