WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State's field hockey team has been picked to finish ninth in the Little East Conference preseason poll of the league's coaches.
The Owls finished last season with a 6-13 overall record, 4-8 in the LEC, and narrowly missed the conference playoffs by one game.
Keene State sat atop the poll with 138 points, looking for its seventh consecutive LEC tournament title. They were followed by Castleton and Worcester State, who also received first place votes. Westfield was picked to finish ninth in the conference, amassing 64 points--one shy of Bridgewater State who was picked to finish eighth.
The Owls return freshman standouts Allie Giguere and Cheryl Latona, who recorded 18 and 17 points respectively and look to lead the team in scoring yet again. With the loss of four strong seniors, the Owls will look for leadership from junior captains Marina Small and Jill Hamel and senior captain Anna Matthews to put the squad back in the playoffs. Sophomore Riley Goulet and junior Katie Vamosi both return in net for the Owls.
Westfield will open the 2019 season on Saturday, August 31 as they take to the road to face Smith College in a Noon start.