WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — UMass Boston women's soccer (7-6-5) travels to Willimantic, Conn., on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, to face top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State (12-2-2) in the Little East Conference Championship Final, with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m.

The Beacons have reached their first LEC Championship since 2021 and their fourth overall. UMass Boston recorded a 1-0 semifinal win over Keene State on Nov. 4, while Eastern Connecticut State advanced with a dominant 3-0 shutout of Rhode Island College. The two programs met on Oct. 17 at James Cotter Field, where Eastern Connecticut State won 1-0 on a Michaela Gasparri goal assisted by Emily McKelvey; Saturday marks the first time they have ever met in the conference championship match.

UMass Boston leads the series 5-3-1 since 2018, when UMass Boston defeated Eastern Connecticut State in the LEC Semifinals to earn a spot in the conference final. In all-time LEC tournament play, the two programs are deadlocked 3-3-1 across seven semifinal meetings, with UMass Boston winning the last two (2018 and 2019) before Saturday's first-ever championship final between them.

Scouting Eastern Connecticut State
Eastern Connecticut State finished the 2026 LEC regular season 6-0-2, earning the tournament's top seed and outscoring league opponents 20-4 in conference play.

McKelvey leads the conference with 14 goals and 31 points this season and has six game-winning goals. Eastern Connecticut State is ranked No. 7 in the IWSOC Division III Region I Coaches Poll and is making its first appearance in the LEC Championship since 2017.

Beacons This Season

UMass Boston entered the 2026 season projected sixth in the LEC preseason poll and earned the No. 2 seed, reaching the championship match for the fourth time in program history. Daniella Celotto (Prospect, Conn.) leads the Beacons with four goals and three assists for 11 points, including a season-high four-point performance (one goal and two assists) at Plymouth State on Oct. 24. Devan Booth (Manchester, N.H.) ranks second with three goals and two assists for eight points, including the game-winning goal in the 30th minute of the LEC semifinal on Nov. 4, assisted by Cloe Kapetanakos (Weymouth, Mass.).

Goalkeeper Janiya Morales Matier (North Easton, Mass.) has been the backbone of the Beacons' defense, recording 100 saves and seven shutouts across 15 starts this season. In the semifinal win over Keene State, Morales Matier made 11 saves, including a point-blank save in the 89th minute to preserve the lead, and surpassed 100 saves for the campaign. The Beacons are 2-1-1 since their Oct. 17 regular-season loss to Eastern Connecticut State.

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