LIVE STATS  | NECFRONT ROW | TICKETS | NEC Tournament Headquarters
 
POSTSEASON BEGINS
The Sacred Heart University women's lacrosse team returns to action this week as the Pioneers host the 2024 Northeast Conference (NEC) Women's Lacrosse Championship after earning the top seed for the second straight year.
 
SHU will host a pair of semifinal games on Thursday, May 2, on Campus Field. The Pioneers will kick off semifinal play at 1:00 PM against the sixth-seeded Seahawks of Wagner, followed by a neutral site battle between the second-seeded Sharks of LIU and the fourth-seeded Skyhawks of Stonehill. 
 
The winner of the SHU/Wagner game will then advance to the NEC Championship game, which is slated for Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 PM on Campus Field, and will face the winner of the Stonehill/LIU game.
 
POSTSEASON NOTES

• This will be Sacred Heart's 14th postseason appearance in the NEC Tournament. 
• Sacred Heart has earned the No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons. 
• Under head coach Laura Korutz, the Pioneers have won four NEC women's lacrosse championships: 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2023. 

2023-24 RECAP

• The Pioneers opened the spring campaign with three straight non-conference losses against UMass Lowell, Bryant, and Brown before earning their first win of the season at home against Quinnipiac on Feb. 28.
• A week later, SHU opened NEC play and suffered a tough 7-6 overtime loss to league newcomer Le Moyne. 
• The following Wednesday, the SHU bounced back with a thrilling 7-6 win over the Sharks of LIU. 
• Despite a 15-5 non-conference setback to #25 Fairfield on Mar. 16, the Pioneers then went on a hot streak, winning eight straight games.
• The Pioneers closed out the regular season with a conference record of 9-1 to earn a share of the NEC regular season title, along with the Sharks of LIU, who also finished with a 9-1 league record. 
• With the win against the CCSU in the regular season finale, the Pios earned the top seed and home-field advantage in the tournament for the second time in as many years.

YEAR-END ACCOLADES

• Maci Black was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Lisa Martin was named Goalkeeper of the Year. 
• Black's NEC Defensive Player of the Year crowning is historic for the Pioneers. In the award's 19-year history, she is the first player in Sacred Heart annals to wear the prestigious title. 
• For the second time in the award's history, a Sacred Heart player was named the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year with Martin's selection.
• Black and Martin earned a spot on the All-NEC first team and major award selections. Emma Kittredge, Kelly Nolan, and Madelyn Breitbeil also join the pair on the first team. 
• Breitbeil also was named to the All-NEC rookie team, along with her first-team nod. 
• Maggie Araneo and Ellie Holt rounded out the accolades by being named to the All-NEC second team. 

NEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

SUNDAY  4.28.24  1ST ROUND @ HIGHER SEEDS

QF

#3 Le Moyne

11

#6 Wagner

13

FINAL

BOX | RECAP

QF

#4 Stonehill

19

#5 Saint Francis U

14

FINAL

BOX | RECAP

 

THURSDAY  5.2.23  SEMIFINALS @TOP SEEDTEAMS RESEEDED AFTER 1ST RD
SF		#1 Sacred Heart			#6 Wagner		1 PM	FRONT ROW | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS
SF		#2 LIU			#4 Stonehill		4 PM	FRONT ROW | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS
SATURDAY  5.4.23  CHAMPIONSHIP @TOP SEED
CH		TBD			TBD		1 PM	FRONT ROW | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS

 
ALL-TIME VS. WAGNER

• Sacred Heart leads the all-time series against Wagner, 14-11. 
• The Pioneers are riding a three-game winning streak and have won four of the last five meetings against the Seahawks. 

LAST TIME OUT
Final Score (4/20/24): SHU 11 | Wagner 10 (OT)
Highlights: After a three-goal run for Wagner to come from behind and take the lead late in the fourth, the Pioneers found themselves trailing by one, 10-9, with 3:24 left in the game. The Pioneers won the draw following Wagners' final goal and kept possession. As time was winding down on the shot clock, Maggie Araneo found Shae Insinga alone in front of the goal to tie the game with 1:31 left in regulation and force overtime. Sacred Heart won the opening draw of the overtime period and wasted no time. Araneo found the back of the net with the first shot in OT to secure the Pioneers victory.
 
SCOUTING SACRED HEART

• The Pios' success has come on defense, as they led the league in allowing 132 goals this season, just 59 in the conference. 
• SHU also owns the second-best margin of victory in NEC games this season at 6.3. 
• Black and Martin served as the ringleaders of one of the nation's top defensive units. The Pioneers boasted a 5.86 goals-against average during the 10-game league slate. 
• All-NEC First Teamers Emma Kittredge and Kelly Nolan command the offense with 44 and 31 points, respectively. 
• Kittredge leads the team in scoring, while Nolan is third.

SACRED HEART – TEAM STATS
Goals Per Game: 10.80 (3rd in NEC)
Assists Per Game: 3.60 (8th in NEC)
Points Per Game: 14.40 (5th in NEC)
Shots Per Game: 29.13 (2nd in NEC)
Goals-Against Average: 8.76 (1st in NEC)
Save Percentage: .492 (1st in NEC)
 
SCOUTING WAGNER

• The Seahawks may have snuck into the NEC Tournament as the sixth and final team, but that does not mean they should be taken lightly. 
• Last season's NEC runners-up always give opposing teams a run for their money, including taking the Pioneers to overtime on April 20. 
• Wagner finished the league slate 5-5, handing Delaware State a 16-6 loss in its regular-season finale before upsetting No. 3 Le Moyne in the NEC Quarterfinals. 
• The Seahawks were led this season by seniors Kelsey Scheidel and Ryan Murphy, who were both named All-NEC First Team on April 30. 
• Scheidel tallied a team-high 30 goals, 41 points, 78 shots, and 31 ground balls. 
• Murphy recorded 74 draw controls and 20 caused turnovers as a defender this season.

WAGNER – TEAM STATS
Goals Per Game: 10.50 (5th in NEC)
Assists Per Game: 4.50 (T-4th in NEC)
Points Per Game: 15.00 (4th in NEC)
Shots Per Game: 26.56 (5th in NEC)
Goals-Against Average: 12.05 (6th in NEC)
Save Percentage: .385 (9th in NEC)