BEVERLY, Mass. - The Conference of New England Women’s Lacrosse season opens in 2026 following a championship year that highlighted the depth and competitive balance of the league. Endicott College captured the 2025 conference title with a strong postseason performance, while University of Hartford finished as runner-up after an impressive run to the championship game. With returning standouts, rising programs, and championship aspirations across the conference, the 2026 campaign is set to deliver another exciting and highly competitive race for the CNE crown.

Curry College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 13 | graduated: 8 | newcomers: 5)
2025 Results (4-13, 1-8 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: T-8th place
 
The Colonels will look for success this season under new head coach Cassandra Nelson, as the team looks to return to the playoffs after a one year hiatus. If they are to make it back to the postseason, they will need to find some new offense, as their top two goal scorers from a year ago have graduated. The players that will be asked to fill those roles will be Nicole Michael (26 G, 14 A), Samantha Sprissler (23 G, 9 A), and Grace Grosso (19 G, 4 A). Sarah Joseph, a second team All-CNE player last year, will be called on to anchor the defense for the Colonels. A freshman to look out for will be Ella Palanza, who is also a member of the Colonel’s women’s basketball team.
 
Endicott College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 24 | graduated: 8 | newcomers: 10)
2025 Results (16-5, 9-0 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE Champions, NCAA Tournament Second Round

The Gulls will look to capture their third consecutive conference championship. Endicott returns six All-Conference selections, including four first-teamers. Midfielder Mia Smith, along with defenders Tori Apostolakes (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Kaitlyn DiLoreto (East Lyme, Conn.), were all named Honorable Mention Preseason All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine. CNE Tournament Most Outstanding Player and IWLCA All-Region honoree Leah Black (Cheshire, Conn.) headlines a Gulls offense that averaged 15.67 goals per game. The Blue and Green face off against four teams (Colby, Wesleyan (Conn.), MIT, and Springfield) ranked in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Top-20 poll.
 
Gordon College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 10 | graduated: 3 | newcomers: 9)
2025 Results (2-14, 1-8 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: T-8th place
 
The Gordon Women’s Lacrosse team returns 10 veterans for the 2026 season and added nine newcomers. Jocelyn Noyes ranked third on the team last spring with nine goals and two assists. Kayla Davidson started all 16 games in goal a year ago and posted 216 saves while pacing the Scots with 65 ground balls.
 
Led by first-year head coach Rebecca Rhoda, Gordon begins the 2026 season February 21 against Salem State.

Johnson & Wales University 
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster
2025 Results (13-5, 9-2 GNAC) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: GNAC Championship Game Loss

The JWU (Providence) women’s lacrosse team opens the 2026 campaign with 16 newcomers – including freshman – as third-year head coach Oliva Duarte begin their first year of competition in the CNE. Senior Mila Kuilan leads the returners as she finished second on the team in both goals (51) and points (59) last season. Classmate Fara Holland anchors the defense as she tallied 30 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers a year ago. A talented freshman class – including attack Riley Shepley and Sidney Mayers – will receive ample playing time. A pair of newcomers – freshman Carley Cook and Anna Barber – will each see time in net.

Nichols College 
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 13 | newcomers: 8 | graduated: 6)
2025 Results (13-4-1, 5-3-1 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: Semifinals Loss to Endicott
 
The Nichols women’s lacrosse program is preparing to kick off their 2026 season as they’ve brought in a new strong class of fresh students and some refined returners ready to hit the field. The Bison, who finished last year with a strong 13-4-1 (5-3-1 CNE) record, look to build upon the successful season and push further in the CNE playoffs after losing to Endicott last year in the semifinals.
 
Head coach William Mraz enters his 7th season guiding the WLAX program. Under Mraz, the program made a huge impact on the defensive end, ranking first in caused turnovers per game and ranking third in save percentage with .418 on the 2025 season.
 
A new edition to the coaching staff this season is, graduate assistant Hadley Houghton ‘25, a Nichols women’s lacrosse alum who enjoyed a record-breaking four-year career as a starter, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in points, goals, assists, and draw controls while earning multiple CCC/CNE First Team honors.

The Bison enter the season after losing 13 players, including six seniors to graduation, highlighted by standout performers Hadley Houghton and McKenzie Muir. To bolster their roster, Nichols added eight newcomers, featuring two transfers and six first-year players.
 
With much of the senior leadership departing, the Bison will look to returning players to step into larger roles. Senior Emma Patton returns after finishing second on the team in goals with 41 and ranking third in draw controls while starting every game last season, finishing 9th in shots per game in the conference. Fellow senior Makala Dube also had a strong 2025 campaign, tallying 24 goals and placing second on the team in assists with 15. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Briar Slattery anchors the unit after recording 115 saves last year, while junior Addison Whitty remains a key contributor after posting 20 caused turnovers, the third-most on the team.
 
The Bison will open the 2025–26 campaign at home on March 4 against Rivier University, with a 7:00 p.m. start time at Vendetti Field.
 
Roger Williams University
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 15 | newcomers: 10 | graduated: 7)
2025 Results (10-7, 8-1 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish:No. 2 Seed,  Lost to No. 3 Hartford in CNE Semifinals
 
The Roger Williams University Women’s Lacrosse team will start their season at Stevens on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 12:00 pm. The Hawks will build on a strong 2025 season, finishing 10-7 overall and 8-1 in Conference of New England (CNE) play. 
Amanda Magee ’10 returns for her fifth season as Head Coach, holding a 51-24 overall record with a significant 30-2 CNE record. She is joined by assistant coach Katie Kline and volunteer assistant coach Morgan Woolley.
 
The Hawks will return junior Allie Shamberger (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) who started in 15 games for the Hawks and collected 38 goals, 35 assists, and 25 ground balls last season. Shamberger was ranked second on the team in total points with 73. Also returning for the Hawks is junior midfielder Jamie Anthony (Somers, Conn.) scored 10 goals, recorded 6 assists, with 38 ground balls and 37 draw controls last season. On the defensive side, senior captain Grace Rocheleau (West Hartford, Conn.), who lead the team in caused turnovers with 18 in 2025, will be back for the Hawks. 
 
 
Suffolk University
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 12 | newcomers: 8 | graduated: 0)
2025 Results (7-10, 3-6 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats

With a mix of 12 returning players and nine newcomers, Suffolk looks to take another step forward in its second second of competition under second-year head coach Carolynn Keal.
 
After going 7-10 overall and 3-6 in Conference of New England in their inaugural campaign, the Rams aim to continue establishing themselves within the league during their 17-game slate.

The Rams return two of their top three scorers in Julia Dickinson (44 goals, 29 assists) and Zoe Peckham (25 goals, 20 assists), and they will be joined by Jessie Le (19 goals, 6 assists) and Lauren Woods (16 goals, 8 assists) in the midfield. Dickinson and Kate Carlson, who anchored the defense with 69 draw controls, 34 ground balls, and 21 caused turnovers, both earned Third-Team CNE honors last season.

University of Hartford
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (Returners: 21 | Graduated: 2 | Newcomers: 3)
2025 Results (13-6, 7-2 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: 3rd Place Lost in CNE Championship
 
The Hawks women’s lacrosse team looks a lot different headed into 2026. Jen Fallon takes over as the new head coach after being the head coach at the University of New Haven for 19 seasons. Fallon finished her career with the Chargers at 218-114 and she is looking to continue the success the Hartford women’s lacrosse program has seen in recent years. 
 
Hartford will be without their top two scorers from the 2025 season losing 204 points of production from last season. Junior Laurel McIntosh (West Kingston, R.I.) is the top returning scorer after producing 37 points on 32 goals and five assists. Junior Lauren Samela (Cheshire, Conn.), junior Talei Ricketson (Centennial, Colo.) and sophomore Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I.) will all be in line for increased workloads to produce some of the missing points. 
 
On the defensive side the Hawks return most of their top defensive unit from last season. Senior Samantha Ciaglo (Colchester, Conn.) headlines the unit after being named a CNE All-Conference Second Team selection in 2025 after producing 44 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. Junior goalkeeper Mandi Rivard (Vernon, Conn.) is also in line for a breakout year after making 137 saves in 2025 good for a 12-5 overall record. Others to look for in the back-line include senior Shelby Frashure (Pasadena, Md.) and senior defensive midfielder Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.). 
 
The Hawks kick off the season on February 28th hosting Vassar College at 12:00 PM. 
 
 
Wentworth Institute of Technology
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 16 | newcomers: 7)
 2025 Results (5-11, 1-8 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: No postseason

Ciara Morley enters her third season at the helm of the Wentworth women’s lacrosse program. The Leopards finished last season with a 5-11 record, going 1-8 in league action. Wentworth will have 16 players from last year returning to the team in the 2026 season with seven newcomers eager to make their mark on the program. Grace Sweet and Grace Del Pilar enter their sophomore seasons after strong performances in their first year at Wentworth. Del Pilar tallied 16 goals and five assists on 34 shots on goal while Sweet added 17 goals and nine assists with 26 shots on goal. Del Pilar led the Leopards with 49 ground balls, 53 draw controls, and 23 caused turnovers.

Sydney Vega and Tessie Wilkie also return to bolster the Leopards’ offense. Vega was second on the team last season with 28 points behind 20 goals and eight assists. Wilkie added 10 goals and five assists for 15 points. Wilkie was second on the team with 49 draw controls and 30 ground balls while Vega tallied 27 ground balls. Wentworth brings back two key players on the defensive end with Ellie White returning after she finished third on the team with 17 caused turnovers while adding 16 ground balls. Lily Cohen will be in the cage for the Leopards after making 32 saves in eight appearances last season. Cohen recorded the only shutout in program history in last season’s 12-0 victory over Notre Dame (Md.).

Wentworth opens the season on February 18 at home against Fitchburg State. 


Western New England
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 16 | graduated: 7 | newcomers: 8)
2025 Results (5-12, 4-5 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: 6^th Place, CNE Lost to No. 3 Hartford In CNE First Round 
The Western New England women’s lacrosse team will have a new look this season under veteran Head Coach Aimee Klepacki, who is in her 27^th season at the helm of the program. WNE will look for a bounce-back season after winning just five games a season ago. The Golden Bears lost their CNE All-Conference duo to graduation and will look for their senior leadership to take the team back to the CNE Tournament this season. 

With six seniors on the 2026 squad, the offense will be led by Lina Eves (Longmeadow, Mass.), who has notched 52 points over her first three seasons in Blue and Gold, including last year’s career-high of 36 points, scoring 30 goals. Senior Ella Henry (Wilbraham, Mass.) scored 17 goals last season, picked up 39 draw control victories, and is expected to help the Golden Bears offensively. Rising junior Lyndsey Bunnell (Wallingford, Conn.) was third on the team in points a season ago, scoring 17 goals and adding 12 assists.

On defense, Western New England will look to Gabby Sliwka (Burlington, Conn.), Samantha Montecalvo (Haverhill, Mass.), and Leilah Neuman (Menands, N.Y.) to stop their opponents. 

In goal, Western New England saw Emily Picolla (Utica, N.Y.) make starts in all 17 games last season, totaling 141 saves. The Golden Bears will carry five goalies this season, including Picolla, with three incoming goalkeepers, as well as sophomore Brooke Darling (Westfield, Mass.), who is expected to see time in the cage. 

The Western New England women’s lacrosse team opens its 2026 slate on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:00 PM at Golden Bear Stadium, hosting Worcester State University. 

 
University of New England
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 15 | graduated: 5 | newcomers: 9)
2025 Results (7-9-1, 5-3-1 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE 1st Round (#5 Seed)
 
The University of New England and 5th-year head coach Bridget Lawless return six starters from 2025 and a group that tied for fourth in the standings. Senior midfielder Sydney Balotin was a second team all-league pick last season -- her fourth conference postseason honor in three years -- after ranking second on the squad in goals (29), points (38), and draw controls (76), leading in ground balls (28), and registering the third-most caused turnovers (16). Junior defender Julia Baldwin and senior defender Kaylee Lucas (17 CT) were second and third behind Balotin, respectively, in ground balls (25, 24), and sophomore attack Chloe Ryan was tied for the team lead with 13 assists. Junior goalkeeper Jenna Trafford -- a third team all-conference honoree as a rookie -- made 16 starts overall and sported a 10.47 goals against average in CNE play.