2026 NEC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll                   1. FDU (7)                 2. CCSU                 3. Wagner (4)                 4. Howard                 5. Stonehill                 6. LIU                 7. Mercyhurst                 8. Delaware State                 9. Chicago State                 10. Le Moyne                 11. New Haven                First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ -- Following a dominant 2025 regular season, FDU women's soccer now turns its focus to the prize that eluded it last fall — an NEC Tournament championship.

Seeking its first NEC crown since 2022, the Knights were picked first in the annual preseason coaches’ poll, receiving seven first place votes.

Perennial power Central Connecticut placed second in the poll after advancing to last year’s final.

Defending champion Wagner was picked third and received four first place votes. The Green and White broke through in 2025, winning their maiden NEC women’s soccer crown as the two seed.

Howard completed the top four following its third consecutive postseason appearance last fall.

Stonehill finished fifth, followed by LIU in sixth and Mercyhurst in seventh.

Delaware State and Chicago State placed eighth and ninth, respectively, after 2025 seasons that saw remarkable improvement for both programs.

Le Moyne and New Haven rounded out the poll. Le Moyne has completed its Division I reclassification process and is now eligible for the NCAA Tournament. New Haven is now NEC Tournament eligible, but remains ineligible for NCAA postseason competition during its DI reclassification.

FDU has enjoyed an incredible run of success over the past three regular seasons. The Knights are unbeaten in their last 12 regular-season conference matches and have compiled a 24-4-3 record in NEC play since 2023. Eric Teepe, the 2025 NEC Coach of the Year, returns four of the FDU’s six All-NEC First Team selections from a season ago. Ana Salas (Madrid, Spain/Liceo Italiano), Laura Martinez (Palma de Mallorca, Spain/Colegio Santa Teresa), Marina Burzaco (Madrid, Spain/San Ignacio de Loyola), and Elisa Garcia (Madrid, Spain) all return for another run at NEC glory.

During FDU's impressive 9-0-2 conference campaign, Burzaco emerged as the league's breakout star, tallying 23 points on seven goals and a conference-best nine assists. Salas tied for second in the NEC with six assists and finished sixth with 16 points. The Knights should once again boast one of the league's most potent attacks, returning three of their top six scorers. Burzaco, Salas and 2025 NEC Midfielder of the Year Martinez combined for 15 goals and 16 assists last season. FDU also fielded one of the NEC's stingiest defenses in 2025, allowing just eight goals in 11 conference matches.

CCSU enters 2026 coming off a bounce-back season for the NEC's most successful women's soccer program. The 13-time conference champions claimed the fourth and final postseason berth with a 6-1-4 record in 2025. Following an upset of top-seeded FDU in the conference semifinal, the Blue Devils fell in an extra-time thriller to Wagner in the NEC final.

Eight-time NEC Coach of the Year Mick D’Arcy returns several key contributors, including NEC Defensive Player of the Year Emma Radoncic (Ridgefield, NJ/Ridgefield Memorial), NEC Goalkeeper of the Year Melina Ford (Portland, CT/Mercy) and NEC Rookie of the Year and All-NEC Second Team defender Gabrielle Smith (Manchester, CT/Manchester), who return to New Britain looking to once again anchor one of the conference's toughest defenses. CCSU was a difficult team to break down in 2025, conceding just 10 goals in 11 conference matches. Ford maintained a 0.87 goals against average against league opponents last season, adding five clean sheets and an .841 save percentage.

Wagner will look to make it back-to-back NEC titles after winning two extra-time classics in the 2025 postseason. New head coach Fred King inherits a veteran squad led by All-NEC First Team selection Hailey Knapp (Brampton, Ontario/Heart Lake Secondary) and All-NEC Second Team honoree Alana Goldsmith (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet Senior). All-Rookie Team selections Riley Frederick (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy), who scored the golden goal in Wagner's 2-1 NEC Championship victory over CCSU, and Abigail Marcello (Havre de Grace, MD/Harford Technical) return for Wagner as well.

Four of the Seahawks' top five scorers from last season return, Goldsmith, Frederick, Anayah Rivera (Newark, NJ/East Side) and Kelly Gallagher (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Academy) combined for 18 goals and 14 assists in 2025.

The 2026 women’s soccer season kicks off on August 12 when CCSU kicks off its campaign, followed by four NEC teams starting their seasons the following day.

The 2026 NEC Women’s Soccer Championship will take place on November 12 & 15 and will feature the top-four teams in the conference standings. The high seeds will serve as the host for the semifinal and final matches.
  
About The NEC
Now in its 46th season, the NEC 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 (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 17 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.