PITMAN, N.J. - The 20th-ranked TCNJ women's soccer team was selected to finish second in the NJAC preseason coaches' poll, as announced by the league office this morning.
 
Rowan – which is receiving votes in the national preseason poll – claimed seven first-place votes to take the top spot, while the Lions garnered three first-place votes to come in just behind the Profs. Montclair State rounds out the top three after reaching the NJAC Championship game in 2024.
 
TCNJ's roster will look different following the graduation of nine seniors – a class that went 69-8-7 across their four seasons – including two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Americans Victoria D'Imperio and Ava Curtis, but a host of returning players with postseason experience will look to win the Lions a third straight NJAC Championship in 2025.
 
Among those returners are 2024 All-NJAC Second Team honoree and NJAC assist-leader Alyssa Alfano and Honorable Mention Abby Najdzinowicz, the latter of whom will serve as a captain alongside midfielders Taylor Bielan and Caroline Freer. Between the pipes, Ellen Williams will look to repeat her impressive freshman season in which she led the NJAC in goals-against average (.577) and shutouts (11).

TCNJ also welcomes a number of newcomers  headlined by transfers Ari Keily, Charlotte Hare and Jordyn Gavini, who will all look to make an immediate impact on their new team.
 
Head Coach Danny Blank is looking forward to seeing how his new-look group handles its challenging 2025 schedule.
 
"We'll have a lot of new faces in our starting line-up, so everything depends on how quickly we can gel as a cohesive unit," Blank said. "We're excited to see how we stack up in a strong NJAC conference."
 
The Lions open their 2025 campaign this weekend when they take on Salisbury and St. Mary's (MD) in the Seahawk Classic. TCNJ will then return home to host 17th-ranked NYU in a non-conference slate that includes matchups against NCAA Tournament teams in Penn State Harrisburg and No. 5 Johns Hopkins. NJAC play kicks off against Kean Saturday, September 27.