Women’s Soccer seeks third straight NEC Championship

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The Red Flash women’s soccer team enters this weekend’s Northeast Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed. SFU will be seeking its third consecutive NEC championship and will face No. 3 seed Mount Saint Mary’s in semifinal action on Friday at 4 p.m. at Central Connecticut State.

The team finished the regular season with a 7-8-3 overall mark and a 5-2-1 record in NEC action. During the middle of the season, the team hit a rough patch, dropping four straight matches, but it closed the schedule on a high note, scoring a season-high five goals in a 5-0 shutout win over Wagner on Senior Day last week.

“It’s all in our hands now,” said assistant coach Alecia McNiff.

SFU defeated Mount Saint Mary’s, 1-0, during the regular season at the Stokes Soccerplex.

“This will be the first opportunity in history for the team to win three years straight,” said McNiff, who was a part of two NEC championship teams at Saint Francis during her playing career (2010 and 2013).

“If we win, we really are setting a new standard.”

Junior Alyssa McGhee leads the Flash in goals (6), game-winning goals (4), scoring (16) and shots (56).

“I expect the team to be ready to face the challenge,” said McGhee. “It’s not going to be easy because the teams are going to be after us and wanting to beat us.”

Friday’s game can be viewed on the web at necfrontrow.com. Top-seed Central Connecticut State will face fourth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the other semifinal match on Friday. The 2018 NEC Championship match will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m.