Bridgewater, N.J. – The Le Moyne College women's lacrosse team has been picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as voted upon by the league's 10 head coaches and announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon.
Defending conference champion LIU claimed each of the nine possible first-place votes to capture the top spot in the poll. As part of an 11-8 overall campaign last season, the Sharks went 9-1 in conference action to earn a share of the regular season title. As the second seed, LIU won its first conference tournament championship by yielding just seven goals per game in the semifinals and final at Sacred Heart.
Stonehill College, which as the fourth seed with a 7-3 NEC mark advanced to the tournament semifinals last year in its first season of eligibility, was picked to finish in second place in its third year in the conference.
After finishing last year in third place with an 8-2 record in their first year in the conference, the Dolphins were tabbed to reprise their role as the third seed.
Wagner College is projected as the final team to earn a berth in the conference tournament by landing in fourth place after being the sixth seed with a 5-5 NEC record last year and upsetting the Dolphins in the first round.
Saint Francis University rounds out the top half of the poll after going 7-3 in league play last year and claiming the fifth seed.
FDU, in its third season as a program, kicks off the second half of the poll in sixth place after going 2-8 in NEC action and finishing in a three-way tie for eighth place. Central Connecticut State University and Delaware State University, which were in the three-way tie with FDU last year, landed in seventh and eighth place, respectively.
NEC newcomer Mercyhurst University was picked to finish ninth. The Lakers are coming off a 4-12 campaign in their final season at the Division II level.
Howard University rounds out the poll after going 0-16 last year, including 0-10 in NEC play.
The four-team NEC Championship is slated for May 1 and 3 and all three games will be hosted by the top seed. Should Le Moyne win the championship, the runner-up would earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
The Dolphins return 19 letterwinners from last year's 9-9 squad, while adding nine freshmen. The Dolphins open the season on Saturday, February 15 against the University of Vermont and open their Northeast Conference schedule at Delaware State on Saturday, March 15.
2025 Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
1. LIU (unanimous)
2. Stonehill
3. Le Moyne
4. Wagner
5. Saint Francis
6. FDU
7. Central Connecticut State
8. Delaware St.
9. Mercyhurst
10. Howard
