NEC Semifinals Thursday at Wagner: Perfect-League Wagner Host Rider, Quinnipiac Face Sacred Heart
Thursday isn’t done with semifinals yet. Away from the Patriot League games covered in yesterday’s card, the NEC plays for a final today at Wagner.
The NEC semifinals are at Wagner. Top-seeded Wagner, 9-7 and 8-0 in the league, meet fourth-seeded Rider, 5-13, at 11 a.m. ET, and second-seeded Quinnipiac, 11-5, face third-seeded Sacred Heart, 9-8, at 2 p.m. ET, both streaming on ESPN+. The final is Saturday, time still to be announced. Wagner’s perfect league record makes them favourites, but Quinnipiac’s 11 wins are the best overall record in the bracket, and Sacred Heart are close enough to Quinnipiac that the second semifinal could go either way.
For our money, keep an eye on Quinnipiac. Eleven wins and a No. 2 seed is the profile of a team that can win a tournament from anywhere in the draw. By Saturday night, another conference champion will be decided, and the NCAA field announcement on Sunday night gets a little clearer.
