FLUSHING, N.Y. – For the fourth consecutive season, East Coast Conference (ECC) postseason play has arrived in Flushing as fifth-year head coach Thomas Paris and the Queens College women's soccer team prepare to compete in the ECC Women's Soccer Championship.
Paris and his coaching staff have led the Knights to an 8-4-4 overall record and a 3-1-3 mark in ECC play, earning the No. 3 seed in the conference championship.
Throughout the regular season, the Knights remained among the top 10 teams in the United Soccer Coaches East Region rankings, earning a program-best regional ranking of No. 7 on two separate occasions.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 2026 ECC Women's Soccer All-Conference selections were announced, with Queens making program history as seven Knights earned All-Conference honors and three student-athletes claimed major awards for the first time in program history.
Leading the way, senior forward Ashley Kieblesz was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year, senior midfielder Anna Tavantzis earned Tri-Defensive Player of the Year honors, and senior goalkeeper Samantha Hines-Hirsch was named Co-Goalkeeper of the Year. (Full Story)
ECC Women's Soccer Championship – First Round (Oct. 28 | 7:00 p.m.)
After earning the No. 3 seed, Paris and the Knights will host an ECC Championship First Round matchup for the second time in three seasons.
Queens will face the No. 6 seed Daemen University Wildcats, who concluded the regular season with a 3-10-3 overall record and a 2-3-2 mark in ECC play.
The Wildcats are led by All-ECC Second Team defender Ava Thompson and All-ECC Third Team midfielder Bridey McKenzie. McKenzie paced Daemen with a team-high eight points on four goals, while Thompson led the Wildcats with 1,303 minutes played and helped the team record two shutouts this season.
Series History
During the regular season, the Knights rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw against Daemen, with rookie Mia Hanson and Tavantzis finding the back of the net in the second half.
Wednesday's matchup will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Queens holding a 5-8-2 record against the Wildcats. It will also mark the third consecutive postseason meeting between the sides, with the previous two matchups taking place in Amherst, N.Y.
The Knights will look to earn their first victory over Daemen since securing a 1-0 win in Flushing in 2022, Paris's first season as head coach.
In 2024, the two teams met in the ECC semifinals, where Daemen earned a 4-1 victory. Last season, the Wildcats and Knights faced off in the First Round, with Queens falling just short of completing a comeback in a 2-1 defeat.
What's at Stake
With a victory on Wednesday, Paris and the Knights will advance to the ECC semifinals, where they will travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y., to face the No. 2 seed Molloy University Lions on Saturday, Oct. 31.
A win would also mark Queens' second postseason victory in program history, adding to the Knights' 3-2 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College on Nov. 7, 2024.
Follow Along
Stats: https://queensknights.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Watch Live
FLO College: https://go.flocollege.com/partner/east-coast-conference
Commentary
Alex Zeller and Sam Canales will have the call.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Instagram (qcknightsny), women's soccer (qcwsoccer)
