Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week
Astrid Borglund (Mercy)
Fr., F, Stockholm, Sweden, Hersby Gymnasium
Borglund recorded a team-high four goals and eight points as Mercy went 1-0-1 on the week. The freshman opened the week scoring the game-tying goal at Southern New Hampshire in the Mavericks' 1-1 draw against the Penmen. Borglund ended the week with her second hat trick in a week, scoring three goals, including the game-winning goal, in Mercy's 4-0 win at Daemen on Saturday. The freshman is now tied for the ECC lead in goals and points and has scored seven goals in her last three games.
Defensive Player of the Week
Keeley Harden (Queens)
Jr., M/D, Orlando, Fla., XL Academy
Junior Keeley Harden helped No. 9 Queens earn a 1-0 shutout victory over RV/No. 4 Saint Anselm College Wednesday evening. Harden and the backline helped Queens record its sixth shutout of the season, holding the Hawks to six shots overall, including just one shot in the first half.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Samantha Hines-Hirsch (Queens)
Jr., GK, Plainview, NY, Plainview Old Bethpage JFK
Senior Samantha Hines-Hirsch posted her ECC-leading sixth shutout of the season as No. 9 Queens defeated RV/No. 4 Saint Anselm Wednesday evening. Hines-Hirsch made six saves in the Knights’ 1-0 non-conference victory over the Hawks.
Weekly Honor Roll
Anneliese Becker (Mercy)
Jr., GK, Stafford, Va., Mountain View
Becker went 1-0 on the week in goal with three saves to record the shutout win in Mercy's 4-0 win at Daemen on Saturday.
Femke Demets (Mercy)
Sr., D, Avelgem, Belgium, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Demets had a team-high two assists on the week and helped lead a Mercy backline to a shutout win at Daemen on Saturday as the Mavericks went 1-0-1. The senior assisted on the game-tying goal in Mercy's 1-1 draw at Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday. Demets ended the week with an assist and helped lead a Mavericks backline that posted a shutout in the 4-0 win at Daemen on Saturday.
Gabrielle Giesing (D'Youville)
Fr., M, North Tonawanda, N.Y., North Tonawanda
Gabby Giesing continues to put together an amazing freshmen season. After helping D'Youville secure a win last week, Giesing was credited the game-winning goal against Molloy in her ECC debut. The game-winning goal was the only goal of the match from both sides, and it was the goal that snapped D'Youville's 5 year losing streak to Molloy and gave the Saints their first against Molloy in program history.
Rebecca Hoffman (Roberts Wesleyan)
Sr., GK, Youngstown, NY, Lewiston-Porter
Senior Rebecca Hoffman continued her strong play in the Roberts net with two shutouts last week. The keeper made seven saves in a 0-0 tie against Gannon in a midweek game and then added a three-save effort in a 2-0 win over the College of Staten Island in ECC action Saturday. She ran her season record to 4-1-2 with four shutouts and is the conference leader in goals against average with a 0.71 mark.
Olivia Holet (Roberts Wesleyan)
Jr., D, Getzville, NY, Williamsville North
Junior Olivia Holet anchored a strong defensive effort for Roberts in a pair of shutout victories last week. The Redhawks played Gannon to a 0-0 tie and downed ECC foe CSI 2-0 over the weekend for the unbeaten week.
Ashley Kieblesz (Queens)
Sr., M, Middle Village, NY, Monsignor McClancy High School
Senior Ashley Kieblesz recorded her team-leading eighth goal of the season and extended her team-best point total to 16 as No. 9 Queens defeated RV/No. 4 Saint Anselm Wednesday evening. Kieblesz recorded her third game-winning goal of the season in the 78th minute, firing a shot from the top of the 18-yard box past the out-of-position Hawks goalkeeper and into the empty net as the Knights earned a 1-0 victory.
Amanda Kit (D'Youville)
So., GK, Markham, Ontario, Bill Crothers Secondary School
Sophomore Goalkeeper, Amanda Kit, had a fantastic performance in D'Youville's conference opener 1-0 win against Molloy. Despite being Outshot 10-8, the Saints were able to capitalize on offensive opportunities, meanwhile Kit was able to hold the net strong throughout the game and finished with a shutout with five saves.
Mackenzie Truman (Roberts Wesleyan)
Fr., D, Clarence, NY, Clarence
Freshman defender Mackenzie Truman helped the Roberts defense record a pair of shutouts last week with a 0-0 tie against Gannon and a 2-0 win at home over ECC opponent CSI.
2026 ECC Women’s Soccer Weekly Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Ashley Kieblesz (Queens)
Sep. 7 – Isabella Muro (Molloy)
Sep. 14 – Ana Impellizzeri (Queens)
Sep. 21 – Astrid Borglund (Mercy)
Sep. 28 – Astrid Borglund (Mercy) (2x)
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Ava Lekanides (Queens)
Sep. 7 – Madison Keenan (Molloy)
Sep. 14 – Femke Demets (Mercy)
Sep. 21 – Sophia Hobson (D'Youville)
Sep. 28 – Keeley Harden (Queens)
Goalkeeper of the Week
Aug. 31 – Samantha Hines-Hirsch (Queens)
Sep. 7 – Elyse Munoz (Molloy)
Sep. 14 – Anneliese Becker (Mercy)
Sep. 21 – Alegra Black (D'Youville)
Sep. 28 – Samantha Hines-Hirsch (Queens) (2x)
Rookie of the Week
Aug. 31 – Roslyn Almodovar (Mercy)
Sep. 7 – Ysabelle Perillo (Molloy)
Sep. 14 – Mackenzie Truman (Roberts Wesleyan)
Sep. 21 – Emily Stefik (D'Youville)
Sep. 28 – Astrid Borglund (Mercy)
2026 ECC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Mercy - 62 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Molloy - 52 points (1 first-place vote)
3. Daemen - 45 points
4. Roberts Wesleyan - 40 points
5. Queens - 37 points (1 first-place vote)
6. D'Youville - 27 points
7. St. Thomas Aquinas - 14 points
8. Staten Island - 11 points
***
Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); D'Youville University (Buffalo, N.Y.); Mercy University (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy University (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.); College of Staten Island (Staten Island, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). The ECC also is home to 13 associate members in the sports of women’s bowling (3), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (3), men's volleyball (2), field hockey (1), and men’s lacrosse (1).
The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; women's bowling; men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s lacrosse; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; men’s and women’s outdoor track and field; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; and men's and women’s volleyball.
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.