WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State's Emma Prattson (Tolland, Conn.) and Kylie Buchanan (Westfield, Mass.) each scored three goals and goalie Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) made 12 saves as #2 seed Owls pulled the mild upset over #1 Framingham State, 11-6 in the 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athleic Conference championship game at Maple Street Field in Framingham on Saturday night.
Westfield State grad student Megan Bailey (Quincy, Mass.) was named the tournament MVP after an all-around performance that included a goal and an assist, seven draw controls, six ground balls, and three caused turnovers.
Westfield ran out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter behind four different goal scorers. Prattson opened the scoring for the Owls less than three minutes into the game off a feed from Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.), and Prattson added her second goal in the early going to make it 4-1.
Turnabout in the goalkeeping from the previous matchup between the two teams was a storyline to watch. Westfield's Banagan stopped five of the first six shots she faced.
Last weekend in the Rams' 15-14 OT win over the Owls, it was Framingham netminder Isabella DeMare who stymied the Owls early with four straight saves, several spectacular, to open the game. This time the Owls solved DeMare early and managed seven goals in their first 10 shots on goal of the night.
With Westfield leading 7-1, Framingham's Leah Green stole a clearing pass and attacked Banagan to break the Owls 5-0 scoring run and trim the lead to 7-2 with 7:03 left in the first half, the last goal either team would score before halftime.
Banagan capped the first half with a save on Maggie Grout's shot in transition, Banagan's eighth save of the half. Westfield held an 18-15 edge in total shots at the half.
Prattson opened the scoring for the Owls in the second half, tallying after a patient offensive possession for the Owls when she rolled the crease with a left-handed shot.
Framingham netted the last two goals of the third quarter, and Westfield led 8-4 heading to the fourth quarter.
Framingham's Regan Fein fed Hailey Baker at the left post 1:11 into the fourth quarter to trim the Westfield lead to 8-5, but that was as close as the Rams would get.
Mykenzie Black (Hopedale, Mass.) pushed the Westfield lead back to four goals when Megan Bailey found Black cutting down the middle of the fan for the quick shot and a goal.
Westfield took advantage of a extra attacker situation after back to back cards on the Rams, capitalizing with a goal from Buchanan after Kiely Hafensteiner (Niskayuna, N.Y.) fed her from behind the goal with 8:08 to play and the Owls boosted the lead to 10-5.
Banagan stopped a bounce shot from Brandi Core with 6:30 left, to take more wind from the Rams' sails.
Buchanan added and exclamation point to the win with a goal on a feed from Prattson with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Prattson led Westfield with three goals and an assist, while Buchanan added three goals, Hafensteiner added a goal and two assists.
Westfield finished with a 29-27 advantage in total shots. Ground balls were even at 22 each, and were successful on 14 of 17 clear attempts in the game. Framingham had a 13-8 advantage in draw controls.
Westfield State improves to 12-7 overall on the season. The Owls earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win, and will make their sixth appearance in the big dance. The selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. and will be streamed on NCAA.com .
Framingham is 14-4 and likely on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture.
Westfield wins its second straight and sixth overall MASCAC tournament title – defeating the Rams for a fifth time in those conference finals.
Westfield's Paige Jelliffe (Monroe, Conn.) played a key role in the Owls defensive effort, marking Hannah Guerin, Framingham's leading scorer on the season, all night long.
Guerin, who came into the game as the league leader in both goals (68) and assists (49) was held to just a goal and two assists on the day. Molly Lanier was the only Ram with multiple goals with two. DiMare finished with seven saves.