Westfield State University has been picked as the top team in the Massachussetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, in a the 2019 pre-season poll of the league's women's soccer coaches.
The Owls claimed the top spot with 50 total points and four first-place votes. Worcester State ranked second with 42 points and a pair of first place votes and Bridgewater was a close third with 41 points and the other two first place votes.
Last year, Westfield finished 10-7-3 overall and 4-1-2 in the MASCAC. While the Owls placed third in the regular season standings, they ran through the conference tournament with wins over Fitchburg, Bridgewater and Salem to win their second straight conference tournament title and their seventh in the last 11 years.
The Owls return a strong contingent for 2019, including former conference player of the year Bella Eduardo in the midfield, top scorer Jenn Rennich up front, and are bolstered by the return of 2017 MASCAC Rookie of the Year Lydia Kinsman, who is back with the Owls after playing last season at Division II Southern New Hampshire.
The Owls will get an early test, as they open the year on Friday against the fourth-ranked team in the nation, Christopher Newport (Va.) University, in a tournament at Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, where the Owls have been training for the past five days. Westfield opens the season with five straight games on th road before finally playing their home opener on Wednesday, September 18 against Keene State.