DANBURY, Connecticut — The Western Connecticut State University Wolves, coached by Alex Harrison (9th Season), have qualified for the Little East Conference (NESCAC) Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament and secured the No. 3 seed in the tournament field. Twelve-time Little East Champion WestConn, which has qualified for the LEC Championship Tourney in all 25 seasons of its existence, will host the Plymouth State College Panthers (6-10-1, 2-5-1) in the opening round on Tuesday, November 5 at 5 p.m. The Wolves finished the 2024 regular season with a 9-5-5 overall record and a 6-1-3 mark in the league to finish third in the final standings. The winner of the LEC Championship Tournament will determine the league’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Top-seeded Southern Maine (13-2-3, 7-0-1) and No. 2-seeded UMass Boston (11-4-5, 6-11-) received first round byes, while No. 4-seeded Eastern Connecticut (6-9-2, 3-3-2) hosts No. 5-seeded Castleton (8-10-1, 3-5) in the other semifinal game Tuesday. The LEC Championship semifinals will take place on Thursday, November 7 and Thursday’s winners will play in the finals on Saturday at the highest remaining seed.
WestConn went 7-3-1 in September but suffered back-to-back losses at Worcester State and Plymouth State in early October before closing the year on a six-game unbeaten streak (2-0-4) that includes ties in each of their last three contests. The Wolves have historic success in the Little East Tournament with its 12 titles, most recently in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and 17 finals appearances including each of the last three autumns. WestConn is 2-1-2 against the tournament field including its 2-1 setback at Plymouth State on October 5. The Wolves are 2-0 all-time against the Panthers and the teams last faced each other in the 2011 LEC First Round won by the Wolves, 2-1. Plymouth State is making its 17th appearance in the LEC Tournament and has never won the conference title.
WestConn has one of the stingiest defenses in the LEC, led by seniors Ella Demers (Northfield, Conn.) and Kaylee Tackson (Thompson, Conn.) and juniors Sophia Onek (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and Casey Papp (Seaford, N.Y.) in front of sophomore goalkeeper Gracen Regan (Monroe, N.J.). Regan leads the conference in shutouts with six to go with a 0.90 GAA and an .832 save percentage, both good for third in the league. Senior forward Suzana Imetovski (Seymour, Conn.) powers the Wolves offense with team-highs of eight goals and five assists for 21 points to rank among the top eight in the LEC in all three categories. She also ranks second in the LEC with four game-winning goals this fall. Senior forward Adriana Alfano (New Milford, Conn.) adds six goals and an assist for 13 points, while junior Hannah Blacher (Allendale, N.J.) has three goals and three assists for nine points, and Onek and Tackson have each contributed three goals from the back line. Tackson scored the Wolves goal against the Panthers in the regular season with an assist by Alfano.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.