DANBURY, Conn. - The Western Connecticut State University Wolves, coached by Alex Harrison (8th Season), have qualified for the Little East Conference (NESCAC) Women's Soccer Championship Tournament and secured the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.  Twelve-time Little East Champion WestConn, which has qualified for the LEC Championship Tourney in all 24 seasons of its existence, will host the Keene State College Owls  (10-3-7, 3-0-5) in the semifinal round on Thursday, November 2 at 6 p.m.  The Wolves finished the 2023 regular season with a 9-7-4 overall record and a 5-2-1 mark in the league to finish second in the final standings, while the No. 3-seeded Owls defeated Eastern Connecticut, 1-0, in the opening round yesterday to advance to the semifinals .  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 (13-1-4, 6-0-2) faces No. 4-seeded UMass-Boston (7-4-9, 1-3-4) in the other semifinal game Thursday and the winners will play on Saturday at the highest remaining seed.

WestConn recovered from a 0-2-4 start to the season, going 7-1-1 from September 17 to October 11 including a five-game winning streak where the Wolves outscored their opponents, 25-0.  WestConn dropped three matches in a row late in October but rallied again and closed the regular season with a 6-1 win over Salem State and a 5-0 victory over Little East foe Rhode Island College to clinch the post-season bye.  The Wolves have historic success in the Little East Tournament with its 12 titles, most recently in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and 16 finals appearances including each of the last two autumns.  WestConn is 0-2-1 against the remaining field including a 1-1 stalemate at Keene State on September 16.  The Wolves are 8-4-1 all-time against the Owls in the post-season including five wins over them in LEC Finals matches.  

WestConn leads the Little East in scoring with 2.75 goals per game, while senior forward Myah Croze (Bristol, Conn.) is the top scorer in the conference with 17 goals and three assists for 37 points, and junior forward Suzana Imetovski (Seymour, Conn.) is also lethal offensively with seven goals and a league-best 10 assists for 24 points this fall.  Four other Wolves have also tallied double-digit points this season, including juniors Adriana Alfano (New Milford, Conn.), Kyla Norton (East Hampton, Conn.), and Mackenzie Sam (Brookfield, Conn.) and sophomore Sophia Onek (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.).  Graduate student Julia DePalma (Kings Park, N.Y.) and sophomore Kaylee Tackson (Thompson, Conn.) have each started every game in the WestConn backfield, while senior midfielder Hannah Daly (Newtown, Conn.) has been steady at both ends of the field with three goals and three assists. In goal, rookie Gracen Regan (Monroe, N.J.) has logged almost 1,300 minutes this season and made 73 saves for a .777 save percentage, registered a 1.47 GAA, and posted an 8-6-3 record with a pair of shutouts.