Forman has backboned the Lions defense this fall, ranking among NEWMAC leaders in GAA and shutouts. |
BOSTON, Mass. (November 3, 2025) – Third-seeded Emerson College opens postseason play on Tuesday night when it hosts sixth-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute as the 2025 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Soccer Tournament gets underway with quarterfinal round action at Rotch Field at 6 p.m.
The match marks the second half of a day-night NEWMAC Tournament doubleheader at Rotch Field on Tuesday as the fourth-seeded Emerson men's soccer team (6-7-5, 3-4-1 NEWMAC) will also host WPI (6-6-5, 3-4-1 NEWMAC) for a NEWMAC first round matchup tomorrow at 1 p.m.
General admission mobile tickets for Tuesday's NEWMAC Tournament contests are $11.00 and can only be purchased through the NEWMAC online box office at events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/newmacsports. Children 12 and under and NEWMAC students with a valid student ID are free and do not need to purchase a mobile ticket. The NEWMAC and Emerson College encourage fans to purchase their mobile tickets in advance of the event to streamline the entry process on game day. While spectators may purchase their mobile tickets on site, no cash option will be available.
The game will also be broadcast live on FloSports and can be accessed via links at emersonlions.com or through the FloSports app on Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Emerson (9-5-4, 7-2-2 NEWMAC) has qualified for the NEWMAC Tournament for the sixth-straight year and seventh time since joining the Conference in 2013, having captured the NEWMAC Championship in 2022. The Lions have reached at least the semifinal round each of the last three seasons and four times overall and will host a postseason match for the fourth-straight year and fifth time overall. Emerson enters the postseason after sewing up the No. 3 seed with its 2-1 comeback win at Babson College on Saturday.
McCrary leads the Lions in goals and assists in her first collegiate season. |
Tuesday will mark the 15th meeting all-time between Emerson and Worcester Polytechic – the first in postseason play. WPI holds a 9-5 advantage over Emerson all-time, but the Lions have won four of the last five matchups and five of seven after a 2-1 triumph in Worcester on October 22. First-years Brady Campbell and Kelsey Yoshikawa spotted Emerson a two-goal lead with markers either side of halftime, while sophomore Hailey Forman preserved the win with six saves, including a pair of key stops late in the second half. Sophomore Maya Mussel made two stops in goal for WPI, while sophomore Abigail Johnson kept the Engineers in the match by answering Yoshikawa's goals after just 30-seconds.
Emerson boasts one of the stingier defenses in the NEWMAC, ranking fourth with a 1.11 team goals against average, yielding the third-lowest goals per match in Conference play at 1.09. The Lions have posted five shutouts this fall (four in NEWMAC play), and their 1.44 goals scored per match ranks sixth in the NEWMAC.
Forman is the backbone of Emerson's defensive unit with a NEWMAC low 1.13 goals against average and .802 save percentage (5th NEWMAC) while averaging 4.6 saves per game (5th) with five clean sheets (T-2nd) in 1,440:00 over her 16 starts. Senior captain Presley King leads the backline in front of Forman alongside junior Carmen Talavera and first-years Brady Campbell and Kate Baldock.
Emerson has gotten goals this season from 13 different players, with nine netting two goals or more. First-year Rowan McCrary, named the NEWMAC Athlete of the Week once this fall, leads the Lions in scoring with four goals and four assists for 12 points, netting a pair of matchwinning goals. Senior Linae Bezdek and Yoshikawa have each contributed three goals and two assists for the Lions, with Bezdek netting two gamewinners. Junior Kaylin O'Meara and sophomore Kelsea Loughrey share the team lead with four assists apiece, with O'Meara also adding a goal for six points.
King spearheads the Lions defensive unit in front of Forman. |
WPI enters the postseason with just a 2-0 win at Smith College on October 29 over its last five matches (1-3-1), including the October 22 setback to Emerson. The Engineers also boast one of the top defensive units in the NEWMAC, yielding 1.05 goals per match to rank third in the Conference, posting ten shutouts which is tied for second in the league along with Wellesley College. The Engineers score 1.37 goals per match at the other end to rank seventh in the NEWMAC but are third with 1.36 goals per contest in Conference play.
Mussel and sophomore Ayla Verheul have shared the goalkeeping duties for WPI this fall. Verheul has seen more minutes with an even 900 in her 16 starts, posting a 1.30 goals against average (4th NEWMAC) with 1.7 saves per game and a pair of shutouts. Mussel has played 630 minutes over 11 matches with three starts, posting a 1.00 goals against and 2.4 saves per game with two shutouts.
Johnson and junior Maeve Steckley have combined to score 13 of WPI's 26 goals this season. Johnson leads the Engineers with 17 points and seven goals to go with three assists, while Steckley has added six goals and a team-high four assists for 16 points, including a team-best three matchwinning markers. Junior Katie Adiletta has chipped in a pair of goals, both gamewinners, and three assists for seven points.
The winner of Tuesday night's quarterfinal matchup will advance to the NEWMAC semifinal round to face the winner of tomorrow night's quarterfinal between No. 7 Coast Guard Academy (5-11-3, 4-6-1 NEWMAC) and No. 2 Springfield College (9-8-0, 8-3-0 NEWMAC) being played in Western Massachusetts at 7 p.m. All NEWMAC Tournament matches are hosted by higher seeds throughout the tournament, so Emerson could host a semifinal on Thursday with a win and Coast Guard upset in Springfield. The NEWMAC Championship match will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Saturday, November 8 (Time TBA).
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2025 NEWMAC Women's Soccer Tournament
Tuesday, November 4
Quarterfinals (hosted by higher seeds)
#5 Wheaton (10-7-0, 6-5-0 NEWMAC) at #4 Babson (8-4-5, 7-3-1 NEWMAC), 1 p.m.
#8 Wellesley (6-8-4, 3-5-3 NEWMAC) at #1 MIT (17-2-1, 10-0-1 NEWMAC), 4 p.m.
#6 WPI (10-6-3, 5-4-2 NEWMAC) at #3 Emerson (9-5-4, 7-2-2 NEWMAC), 6 p.m.
#7 Coast Guard (5-11-3, 4-6-1 NEWMAC) at #2 Springfield (9-8-0, 8-3-0 NEWMAC), 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 6
Semifinals (hosted by higher seeds)
Wheaton/Babson winner vs. Wellesley/MIT winner, TBA
WPI/Emerson winner vs. Coast Guard/Springfield winner, TBA
Saturday, November 8
Championship (at highest remaining seed)
Semifinal winners, TBA
