Busy Saturday Slate for Owls Athletics

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Eight Westfield State athletic teams will be in action this weekend as part of a busy Saturday slate including a home doubleheader for field hockey and women's soccer.

HOME EVENTS

Field Hockey vs Worcester State at 11:00 A.M.

Owls field hockey begins the doubleheader from Alumni Field, hosting the Lancers at 11:00 A.M. The two teams are meeting for the first time since last year's MASCAC Semifinal matchup where the Owls scored a late goal off the stick of Erin Lane (Canton, Mass.) to begin their title run.

This season, the Owls are off to a 3-3 start including a 2-0 win at Framingham State on Wednesday to begin MASCAC action. The Lancers (0-5) are in search of their first win of the year after facing stiff non-conference competition. In the 2025 MASCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Owls were picked to finish in a tie for first while the Lancers were selected third.

The last four meetings between the two sides have been decided by one goal. Westfield has two of the top five goal scorers in the conference with Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) tied for second with five goals and Ashley D'Elia (Watertown, Conn.) tied for fifth with four goals. Kylie Casey (Hubbardston, Mass.) and Kaylie Ciccone (Douglas, Mass.) have each scored twice to lead Worcester in scoring.

Women's Soccer vs Salem State at 2:00 P.M.

In the second game of the day from Alumni Field, women's soccer will take on Salem State at 2:00 P.M. The Owls are looking to gain their footing after a slow start to the year with a 1-4-1 start to the campaign. The Owls lone victory was an important one as they traveled to Fitchburg and came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a late marker from first-year Julianna Lanzillo (Chelmsford, Mass.).

Westfield has played just one game at home so far this season and have an opportunity to improve upon their record with five of their next six games played from Alumni Field.

Salem State has gotten off to a blazing start to begin the 2025 season, surpassing their 2024 win total already after recording a strong 5-0-1 mark. The Vikings have yet to allow a goal this season and are 2-0 in conference play after a pair of wins over Mass. Maritime (4-0) and Anna Maria (2-0).

The goalkeeping matchup will be one to watch between Julia Robak (Chicopee, Mass.) and Ava Guyer (East Granby, Conn.). Robak enters the match with a 1.60 goals against average in five games and is coming off a six save shutout effort in the win over the Falcons last Saturday. Guyer has been flawless between the pipes so far, stopping all 32 shots faced across six matches.

OWLS ON THE ROAD

Men's Golf MASCAC Championship: Saturday-Sunday at 10:00 A.M.

Men's golf will open day one of the 2025 MASCAC Championship meet on Saturday at 10:00 A.M. from Blissful Meadows Golf Club in Uxbridge, Mass.

The Owls had a tune-up prior to the championship on Wednesday where they defeated MCLA in a dual match at Taconic GC. The Owls were sixth at last year's conference title meet. Newcomers Aidan Asher (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Nathan Copetas (Maynard, Mass.), who scored the low rounds of the day for Westfield against MCLA, are tabbed as two of the five Owls competing in the title match.

Cross Country at UMass Dartmouth Invitational – 11:20 A.M. / 12:00 P.M.

Men's and women's cross country will travel to Dartmouth, Mass. for their third meet of the season. The men's races will begin the day with the JV race at 10:30 A.M. followed by the varsity race at 11:20 A.M. The women's varsity race will begin at 12:00 P.M. followed by the JV at 12:40 P.M.

For the men, Lorcan Bergeron (Medway, Mass.) and Rowan Gottshall (Simsbury, Conn.) have been the top two Owls to cross the tape in the first two meets with Bergeron placing third at the Keene State Alumni Meet and Gottshall finishing 33^rd of 107 runners at the Trinity Invite.

On the women's side, Reese Stevens (Agawam, Mass.) led a pack of Owls to a first-place finish at the Keene State Alumni Meet as Westfield dominated the event by placing five of the top six runners. The Owls then impressed at the Trinity Invite, trailing only nationally ranked Tufts and the hosts with a third place team performance. Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) was first home for the Owls with an 11^th place mark in a field of 98 athletes.

Women's Volleyball at Nichols w/ SUNY Delhi – 11:00 A.M. / 1:00 P.M.

Women's volleyball will partake in a Saturday tri-match from Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., taking on the Bison at 11:00 A.M. then facing SUNY-Delhi at 1:00 P.M.

The Owls have won back-to-back matches entering Saturday with Emily Washkalavitch (Oxford, Pa.) fueling the team's attacking efforts this year as she is fourth in the MASCAC with 84 kills on the season. Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) is currently the top facilitator in the conference, recording 274 assists. She has tallied 30 or more assists in four of her last six matches. Defensively, Erica Majka (Agawam, Mass.) has played a pivotal role in the back for Westfield as her 138 digs ranks fifth in the MASCAC.

Football at Dean – 12:00 P.M.

Owls football will be on the road for a second consecutive week, visiting Dean College for a MASCAC game at noon. Both teams are in search of their first win of the new season with the Owls falling 29-16 to Bridgewater State in the conference opener. The Bulldogs have lost two conference decisions to Fitchburg State (49-14) and Mass. Maritime (28-0) to begin the year.

The Owls defense is off to a strong start this season, ranking second in yards allowed per game (247.0), third in the conference in opponent points per game (22.5), and second in sacks with four. Budder Ferreira (Haverhill, Mass.) and Justyn Gardner (East Hartford, Conn.) are both tied for second in the league with two sacks in the early part of the year.

An area to keep an eye on in the contest is the Owls running game versus the Dean defense. Manny Mengata (Tewksbury, Mass.) is third in the MASCAC in rushing yards per game and will be up against a Bulldog defense that has been gashed to the tune of 548 yards per game on the ground through the first two games.

Men's Soccer at Salem State – 1:00 P.M.

Men's soccer heads to Salem for a MASCAC match at 1:00 P.M. in a rematch of the 2024 MASCAC Championship game. The Owls used first-half goals from Matias Otero (Westchester, N.Y.) and Ryan Denehy (Littleton, Mass.) to secure last year's conference title, making Saturday's matchup the first time the two sides have met since last year.

The Owls are off to a soaring 4-1 start, having scored three or more goals in each of their victories. Westfield is 1-0 in the MASCAC after a 4-0 win over Fitchburg last weekend. The Owls enter Salem with the league's leading goal scorer in Nick Parakilas (Broad Brook, Conn.) who's notched seven goals and two assists in five games. Sonny Mazza (East Longmeadow, Mass.) is tied for the MASCAC lead in assists with four and is fourth with ten points. Marko Kononenko (Kyiv, Ukraine) is off to a great start in net for the Owls as he leads the conference in goals against (0.44), save percentage (.889), and goals allowed (two).

Salem State enters the conference clash at 2-3-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the league, losing to Mass. Maritime 3-0 to go along with a 4-4 draw against Anna Maria.

Visit WestfieldStateOwls.com for all this weekend's coverage via video, live stats, results, and postgame recaps.