BOSTON – Four different America East women’s soccer teams picked up wins last week, the last full week of action before conference play kicks off this weekend. Maine, UMBC, UMass Lowell and NJIT all earned victories last week.
League action kicks off on Sunday with four matches. Reigning champion Maine hosts UAlbany, while Binghamton, last year’s regular-season champion, welcomes UMass Lowell, UMBC visits Vermont and New Hampshire heads to NJIT.
Three points will be awarded to the winning team, one point to each team in the event of a tie and zero points to the losing team. The top six teams in the standings at the end of the season will qualify for the 2026 America East Women’s Soccer Championship, set to take place Nov. 5-15.
Need to Know
- Maine went unbeaten in two road matches last week, tying unbeaten Big East foe Providence, 1-1, on Thursday and knocking off Holy Cross, 2-0, on Sunday.
- The Black Bears are unbeaten in their last four games (2-0-2).
- UMBC beat Longwood, 2-0, on Sunday to improve to 6-2-2 on the season. The six non-league wins are the Retrievers’ most since the 2014 campaign.
- UMass Lowell posted its first back-to-back wins of the season, 1-0 victories over both Stonehill and New Haven.
- NJIT beat LIU, 3-0, on Thursday behind a three-point effort from Paige Eckert. She had one goal and one assist en route to earning America East Rookie of the Week honors.
- Kiara Levac had a goal and an assist in UAlbany’s 2-2 tie vs. Stony Brook on Sunday.
- Overall, America East teams went 5-5-3 last week.
- The #AEWSOC preseason poll and All-Conference teams were announced on July 30. Three-time defending league champion Maine was chosen the 2026 favorite while last year’s regular-season champion Binghamton was second - link.
Weekly Award Winners – Sept. 15
Offensive Player of the Week
Isabella Meadows, Maine – Jr., Forward, Springfield, Mass.
- Scored a goal in each of Maine’s games last week.
- Had the only Black Bear score in a 1-1 tie vs. unbeaten Providence on Thursday.
- Tallied the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win at Holy Cross on Sunday
- This is Meadows’ first career #AEWSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Meghan Bernetti, Maine – Sr., Defender, Annapolis, Md.
- Anchored Maine’s defense in a 1-0-1 week in which the Black Bears allowed just one goal.
- Played all 180 minutes in a 1-1 tie vs. unbeaten Providence and a 1-0 win over Holy Cross.
- This is Bernetti’s first career #AEWSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Rachel Welch, UMass Lowell – Jr., Goalkeeper, Franklin, Mass.
- Stopped all four shots she faced to record a shutout in her lone appearance of the week, a 1-0 win over Stonehill on Thursday.
- Made two highlight-reel saves early in the second half to keep it scoreless.
- Logged four saves in the 3-1 win over Towson before turning away five shots in a 1-0 shutout against Wagner.
- This is Welch’s first career #AEWSOC Goalkeeper of the Week honor.
Rookie of the Week
Paige Eckert, NJIT – Fr., Forward, Warrington, Pa.
- Had a goal and an assist in NJIT’s 3-0 win over LIU on Thursday.
- This is Eckert’s first career #AEWSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
2026 #AEWSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 17 - Offensive Player & Rookie of the Week: Brooke Clagett, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Amara Codd, UMBC
Aug. 24 - Offensive Player: Paige Luke, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Ale Victoriano, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Sonja Zeepvat, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Taylor Stuart, NJIT
Aug. 31 - Offensive Player: Samantha Zaslaw, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Rebecca Kessler, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Oluchi Njoku, UAlbany
Sep. 8 - Offensive Player: Aja Turner, Maine; Defensive Player of the Week: Olivia Nardone, UMBC; Goalkeeper of the Week: Amara Codd, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Eleni Stowell, Vermont
Sep. 15 - Offensive Player: Isabella Meadows, Maine; Defensive Player of the Week: Meghan Bernetti, Maine; Goalkeeper of the Week: Rachel Welch, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Paige Eckert, NJIT
Links
Info
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEWSOC contest this season with the majority of games airing on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AmericaEast channels on Instagram and X to stay up-to-date on America East women’s soccer news all season long and use #AEWSOC to join the conversation.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -